Health maintenance contracts; cancer treatment parity; orally administered cancer treatment medications.

(1) As used in this section, the term:

(a) “Cancer treatment medication” means medication prescribed by a treating physician who determines that the medication is medically necessary to kill or slow the growth of cancerous cells in a manner consistent with nationally accepted standards of practice.

(b) “Cost sharing” includes copayments, coinsurance, dollar limits, and deductibles imposed on the covered person.

(c) “Grandfathered health plan” has the same meaning as provided in 42 U.S.C. s. 18011 and is subject to the conditions for maintaining status as a grandfathered health plan as specified in 45 C.F.R. s. 147.140.

(2) A health maintenance contract delivered, issued for delivery, renewed, amended, or continued in this state that provides medical, major medical, or similar comprehensive coverage and includes coverage for cancer treatment medications must also cover prescribed, orally administered cancer treatment medications and may not apply cost-sharing requirements for orally administered cancer treatment medications that are less favorable to the covered person than cost-sharing requirements for intravenous or injected cancer treatment medications covered under the contract.

(3) A health maintenance organization providing a contract described in subsection (2) and any participating entity through which the health maintenance organization offers health services may not:

(a) Vary the terms of the policy in effect on July 1, 2014, to avoid compliance with this section.

(b) Provide any incentive, including, but not limited to, a monetary incentive, or impose treatment limitations to encourage a covered person to accept less than the minimum protections available under this section.

(c) Penalize a health care practitioner or reduce or limit the compensation of a health care practitioner for recommending or providing services or care to a covered person as required under this section.

(d) Provide any incentive, including, but not limited to, a monetary incentive, to induce a health care practitioner to provide care or services that do not comply with this section.

(e) Change the classification of any intravenous or injected cancer treatment medication or increase the amount of cost sharing applicable to any intravenous or injected cancer treatment medication in effect on the effective date of this section in order to achieve compliance with this section.

(4) This section does not apply to grandfathered health plans or to Medicare supplement, dental, vision, long-term care, disability, accident only, specified disease policies, or other supplemental limited-benefit plans.

Notwithstanding this section, if the cost-sharing requirements for intravenous or injected cancer treatment medications under the contract are less than $50 per month, then the cost-sharing requirements for orally administered cancer treatment medications may be up to $50 per month.