Bill Text: IA HF646 | 2019-2020 | 88th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to vision screenings, examinations, services, and supplies for children.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-06 - Introduced, referred to Education. H.J. 415. [HF646 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2019-HF646-Introduced.html
House
File
646
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
646
BY
STAED
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
vision
screenings,
examinations,
services,
1
and
supplies
for
children.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
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646
Section
1.
Section
135.39D,
subsections
1
and
5,
Code
2019,
1
are
amended
to
read
as
follows:
2
1.
a.
The
parent
or
guardian
of
a
child
shall
ensure
3
that
the
child
is
screened
for
vision
impairment
as
early
as
4
possible,
but
no
later
than
the
child’s
first
year
in
any
5
public
or
private
education
program
or
a
child
care
facility
as
6
defined
in
section
237A.1.
Such
public
or
private
education
7
program
shall
include
but
is
not
limited
to
child
development
8
assistance
programs
provided
under
chapter
256A,
special
9
education
programs
provided
under
section
256B.9,
school
ready
10
children
grant
programs
and
other
programs
provided
under
11
chapter
256I,
and
federal
head
start
programs.
The
person
who
12
performs
a
vision
screening
required
pursuant
to
this
paragraph
13
“a”
shall
report
the
results
of
the
vision
screening
to
the
14
department
pursuant
to
subsection
4.
15
b.
The
parent
or
guardian
of
a
child
to
be
enrolled
in
a
16
public
or
accredited
nonpublic
elementary
school
shall
ensure
17
that
the
child
is
screened
for
vision
impairment
at
least
once
18
before
enrollment
in
kindergarten
and
again
before
enrollment
19
in
grade
three.
The
parent
or
guardian
of
the
child
shall
20
ensure
that
evidence
of
the
vision
screening
is
provided
to
the
21
school
district
or
accredited
nonpublic
school
in
which
the
22
child
is
enrolled.
Evidence
of
the
vision
screening
may
be
23
provided
either
directly
from
the
parent
or
guardian
or
from
a
24
vision
screening
provider
referred
to
in
subsection
2
,
and
may
25
be
provided
in
either
written
or
electronic
form.
26
5.
Each
public
or
private
education
program
or
child
care
27
facility
and
public
and
accredited
nonpublic
elementary
school
28
shall,
in
collaboration
with
the
department,
do
the
following:
29
a.
Provide
the
parents
or
guardians
of
children
and
students
30
with
vision
screening
referral
resources.
31
b.
Arrange
for
evidence
of
vision
screenings
provided
32
pursuant
to
subsection
1
to
be
forwarded
to
the
department.
33
Sec.
2.
NEW
SECTION
.
514C.35
Vision
coverage.
34
1.
Notwithstanding
the
uniformity
of
treatment
requirements
35
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646
of
section
514C.6,
a
policy
or
contract
providing
for
1
third-party
payment
or
prepayment
of
health
or
medical
2
expenses
shall
provide
coverage
for
the
costs
associated
with
3
vision
screenings,
examinations,
vision
therapy,
and
services
4
and
supplies
including
glasses
or
contacts
for
children,
5
as
determined
medically
necessary
by
the
optometrist
or
6
ophthalmologist.
7
2.
a.
This
section
applies
to
the
following
classes
of
8
third-party
payment
provider
contracts
or
policies
delivered,
9
issued
for
delivery,
continued,
or
renewed
in
this
state
on
or
10
after
July
1,
2019:
11
(1)
Individual
or
group
accident
and
sickness
insurance
12
providing
coverage
on
an
expense-incurred
basis.
13
(2)
An
individual
or
group
hospital
or
medical
service
14
contract
issued
pursuant
to
chapter
509,
514,
or
514A.
15
(3)
An
individual
or
group
health
maintenance
organization
16
contract
regulated
under
chapter
514B.
17
(4)
Any
other
entity
engaged
in
the
business
of
insurance,
18
risk
transfer,
or
risk
retention,
which
is
subject
to
the
19
jurisdiction
of
the
commissioner.
20
(5)
A
plan
established
pursuant
to
chapter
509A
for
public
21
employees.
22
b.
This
section
shall
not
apply
to
accident-only,
specified
23
disease,
short-term
hospital
or
medical,
hospital
confinement
24
indemnity,
credit,
dental,
Medicare
supplement,
long-term
care,
25
basic
hospital
and
medical-surgical
expense
coverage
as
defined
26
by
the
commissioner,
disability
income
insurance
coverage,
27
coverage
issued
as
a
supplement
to
liability
insurance,
28
workers’
compensation
or
similar
insurance,
or
automobile
29
medical
payment
insurance.
30
Sec.
3.
CHILD
VISION
SCREENING
WORK
GROUP
——
REVIEW.
The
31
child
vision
screening
work
group
shall
review
the
requirements
32
for
vision
screening
and
examination,
geographically
accessible
33
opportunities
for
the
provision
of
required
and
necessary
34
vision
services
and
supplies,
and
the
availability
of
public
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646
and
private
coverage
of
vision
services
and
supplies,
and
1
shall
report
key
findings
and
recommendations
to
the
governor
2
and
the
general
assembly
by
November
15,
2019,
to
increase
3
the
percentage
of
children
receiving
vision
screenings,
4
examinations,
and
medically
necessary
services
and
supplies
at
5
as
early
an
age
as
possible
in
the
state.
For
the
purposes
of
6
this
section,
“child
vision
screening
work
group”
means
the
7
group
of
eye
health
professionals
in
the
state
established
8
by
the
director
of
public
health
and
comprised
of
licensed
9
ophthalmologists,
licensed
optometrists,
representatives
10
or
designees
of
leading
vision
organizations,
and
other
11
stakeholders
as
determined
by
the
director.
12
EXPLANATION
13
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
14
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
15
This
bill
requires
that,
in
addition
to
existing
16
requirements
for
the
parent
or
guardian
ensuring
that
a
child
17
to
be
enrolled
in
a
public
or
accredited
nonpublic
elementary
18
school
is
screened
for
vision
impairment
at
least
once
before
19
enrollment
in
kindergarten
and
again
before
enrollment
in
20
grade
three,
the
parent
or
guardian
shall
ensure
that
the
21
child
is
screened
for
vision
impairment
as
early
as
possible,
22
but
no
later
than
the
child’s
first
year
in
any
public
or
23
private
education
program
or
a
child
care
facility.
The
person
24
who
performs
a
vision
screening
for
the
additional
group
of
25
children
as
required
under
the
bill
shall
report
the
results
of
26
the
vision
screening
to
the
department
of
public
health
(DPH)
27
as
is
required
for
existing
vision
screenings.
The
bill
also
28
requires
that
each
public
or
private
education
program
or
child
29
care
facility
in
collaboration
with
DPH
provide
the
parents
30
or
guardians
of
these
children
with
vision
screening
referral
31
resources.
32
The
bill
requires
that
a
policy
or
contract
delivered,
33
issued
for
delivery,
continued,
or
renewed
in
the
state
on
34
or
after
July
1,
2019,
providing
for
third-party
payment
or
35
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646
prepayment
of
health
or
medical
expenses
shall
provide
coverage
1
benefits
for
the
costs
associated
with
vision
screenings,
2
examinations,
vision
therapy,
and
services
and
supplies
3
including
glasses
or
contacts
for
children,
as
determined
4
medically
necessary
by
an
optometrist
or
ophthalmologist.
5
The
bill
requires
the
child
vision
screening
work
group
6
to
review
the
requirements
for
child
vision
screening
and
7
examination,
geographically
accessible
opportunities
for
8
the
provision
of
required
and
necessary
vision
services
and
9
supplies,
and
the
availability
of
public
and
private
coverage
10
of
vision
services
and
supplies,
and
to
report
key
findings
11
and
recommendations
to
the
governor
and
the
general
assembly
12
by
November
15,
2019,
to
increase
the
percentage
of
children
13
receiving
vision
screenings,
examinations,
and
medically
14
necessary
services
and
supplies
at
as
early
an
age
as
possible
15
in
the
state.
The
child
vision
screening
work
group
is
an
16
existing
work
group
established
by
the
director
of
public
17
health
and
comprised
of
eye
health
professionals
in
the
state
18
including
licensed
ophthalmologists,
licensed
optometrists,
19
representatives
or
designees
of
leading
vision
organizations,
20
and
other
stakeholders
as
determined
by
the
director.
21
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