HB1267ham003 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Rep. Mary E. Flowers

Filed: 3/10/2011

09700HB1267ham003 LRB097 07252 RPM 52602 a

AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 1267

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 1267, AS AMENDED, with reference to page and line numbers of House Amendment No. 1 as follows:

on page 6, by replacing lines 1 through 10 with the following:

"(215 ILCS 5/356z.19 new)

Sec. 356z.19. Nutritional support and hydration.

(a) The General Assembly finds that people who are physically unable to swallow, digest, or absorb food and fluids taken by mouth are at risk of malnutrition and dehydration. Without nutritional support and hydration, such individuals will become increasingly weakened. As their immune system functioning is reduced, they may die from infections before death can occur from malnutrition or dehydration.

(b) A group or individual policy of accident and health insurance or managed care plan amended, delivered, issued, or renewed after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly must provide coverage for intravenous feeding and for enteral or tube feeding. The benefits under this Section shall be at least as favorable as for other coverages under the policy and may be subject to the same dollar amount limits, deductibles, and co-insurance requirements applicable generally to other coverages under the policy.

(c) For the purpose of this Section, "enteral or tube feeding" means the process by which nutritional formulas are delivered via a tube into the digestive tract.".