(The Center Square) – Florida’s newest laws require breast exam insurance coverage for state employees, regulate pet insurance and wellness programs, and punish health care providers and facilities who don’t refund overpayments in a timely manner.
As of Thursday, people on a state employee health insurance plan that covers diagnostic or supplemental breast exams cannot be charged copays, deductibles, or coinsurance for those exams, according to Senate Bill 158.
Another new law, Senate Bill 1808, requires providers and health care facilities to refund overpayments made by patients within 30 days. Providers who don’t follow the law could face disciplinary action by their licensing board or the Department of Health. Providers licensed by the Agency for Health Care Administration could face a penalty of up to $500.
House Bill 655, which also went into effect on New Year’s Day, provides a regulatory framework and oversight for pet insurance and pet wellness programs.
It prohibits unfair or deceptive practices in the industry, such as marketing a wellness program as pet insurance, requiring the purchase of a wellness program to obtain pet insurance, not clearly separating wellness program costs from pet insurance costs, duplicating coverage, and more.
The law also requires pet insurers to use statutory definitions of terms and disclose certain information to policyholders, such as whether the policy excludes coverage due to a chronic condition, among other things.
House Bill 255, which became law in July, increases penalties for aggravated animal cruelty cases and requires the Department of Law Enforcement to create a searchable database of people who have been convicted of animal cruelty.
The requirement went into effect in January. The Aggravated Animal Cruelty registry is now available on the department’s website.
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The harsher penalties are meant to make it more likely that offenders get prison time, according to state Rep. Linda Chaney, who filed the bill. She said animal abuse is often an early warning sign for family violence.
“Individuals who commit these heinous acts typically don’t stop at animals; they are better indicators of future violence, harassment, assault, rape, murder, and arson cases as found by the FBI,” Chaney said at the time. “In another study, it was found that animal abusers are five times more likely to harm other humans. Animal abuse was even present in 88% of homes being investigated for child abuse.”