H.R. 2457 · 111th Congress
Right to a Second Medical Opinion Act of 2009
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 111th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
D
DavisSponsor4 cosponsors · 2 D, 2 R
4 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
Right to a Second Medical Opinion Act of 2009 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require a group health plan to provide coverage for a second opinion requested by a participant or beneficiary or a health care practitioner if certain conditions are met,…
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · May 18, 2009
Right to a Second Medical Opinion Act of 2009 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require a group health plan to provide coverage for a second opinion requested by a participant or beneficiary or a health care practitioner if certain conditions are met, including that the medical condition threatens loss of life, quality of life, loss of limb, loss of bodily function, loss of cognitive function, or substantial impairment of the mind or body.
Directs that the financial responsibility of the participant or beneficiary for a second opinion shall be the same as that for comparable services furnished by a participating physician in connection with an initial opinion.
Sets forth provisions governing a health plan: (1) limiting coverage of a second opinion to a participating physician; (2) requiring preapproval for a second opinion; and (3) denying coverage or denying preapproval for a second opinion.
Allows a plan to condition payment for a second opinion on the physician providing a consultation report to the health care practitioner making the initial opinion.
Requires plans to provide the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) a timeline for providing reimbursement of claims for second opinions and for responding to requests for preapproval of second opinions.
Applies the provisions of this Act to individual health insurance coverage.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: Right to a Second Medical Opinion Act of 2009
Latest action (Oct 22, 2009): Referred to the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions.
Policy area: Health · Origin: House · Introduced: May 18, 2009
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.