Legislative Session number- 82

Bill Name: SF3274

Relating to health ARTICLE 1 HEALTH PLAN COMPANY REGULATIONModifying certain
standards and reducing the time limit for commissioner of commerce approval or
disapproval of accident and health insurance policy rates or forms; modifying
certain loss ratio standards; expanding coverage of the nonprofit health service
plan corporations act to all health service plan corporations; eliminating the
requirement for health maintenance organizations to be nonprofit for regulation
purposes and providing for regulation of foreign HMOs; regulating HMO enrollee
cost sharing and modifying conflict of interest policy requirements; requiring
health plan companies to make available through an electronic data base provider
specific allowable payment rates for covered health care services, defining
allowable payment; requiring the commissioner of health to develop and promote
policies to increase consumer awareness of health care costs; specifying certain
term change instructions to the revisor of statutes; repealing the requirement
for health plans to provide coverage for the treatment of breast cancer using
high dose chemotherapy with autologous bone marrow transplantation ARTICLE 2
PRESCRIPTION DRUG DISCOUNT PROGRAMRequiring and providing for the commissioner
of human services to establish and administer a prescription drug discount and
rebate program; specifying applicant eligibility requirements and prescribing
application procedures; specifying certain requirements of participating
pharmacies; requiring commissioner periodic notice to drug manufacturers of the
amount of rebate owed on drugs sold by participating pharmacies to enrolled
individuals and specifying manufacturer pharmacy rebate requirements, requiring
payment to the commissioner for deposit into the Minnesota prescription drug
dedicated fund and providing for distribution to participating pharmacies by the
commissioner; authorizing the commissioner to establish an administrative fee to
cover enrollment, claims processing and rebate distribution expenses and a
switch fee to cover expenses incurred by pharmacies in formatting claims for
electronic submission; creating the Minnesota prescription drug dedicated fund
and appropriating money in the fund to the commissioner to reimburse
participating pharmacies for prescription drug discounts and the commissioner
for certain administrative costs; providing for attorney general enforcement and
for remediesARTICLE 3 MINNESOTACARE PROVIDER TAX; TOBACCO TAXPermanently
reducing the hospital and health care providers gross earnings tax, increasing
the tax rates on cigarettes and tobacco products and imposing a floor stocks tax
on cigarettes, requiring the crediting of a certain portion of the tax rate
increases and of floor stocks tax revenues to the health care access fund;
specifying certain floor stocks tax audit and enforcement requirements ARTICLE 4
PUNITIVE DAMAGE LIMITLimiting punitive damages for health care provider
malpractice, error, mistake or failure to cure(mk)