(a) The Special Advisory Commission on Mandated Health Insurance Benefits is hereby established, effective February 1, 2012, to advise the Governor and the General Assembly on the social and financial impact of current and proposed mandated benefits and providers, in the manner set forth in this Code section. The advisory commission shall be composed of 20 members and three ex officio members. Sixteen members shall be appointed by the Governor on or after February 1, 2012, as follows: one dentist, one obstetrician, one pediatrician, one family practice physician, one physician who is a specialist in chronic disease, one chief medical officer of a general, acute care hospital, one allied health professional, two representatives of small business, two representatives of a major industry, one expert in the field of medical ethics, one representative of the accident and health insurance industry, one representative from the Georgia Association of Health Plans, and two citizen members. The Senate Committee on Assignments shall appoint one member from the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and one member from the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint one member from the House Committee on Health and Human Services and one member from the House Committee on Insurance. The commissioner of community health, the Commissioner of Labor, and the Commissioner of Insurance shall serve as ex officio, nonvoting members. All members shall be appointed for terms of four years each, except that appointments to fill vacancies shall be made for the unexpired terms.
(b) No person shall be eligible to serve for or during more than two successive four-year terms; but after the expiration of a term of two years or less, or after the expiration of the remainder of a term to which appointed to fill a vacancy, two additional four-year terms may be served by such a member if so appointed.
(c) The advisory commission shall meet regularly and at the request of the Governor. The first meeting of the advisory commission shall be held no later than March 1, 2012, at which time the advisory commission shall select a chairperson and a vice chairperson, as determined by the membership.
(d) The advisory commission shall:
(1) Develop and maintain, with the Insurance Department, a system and program of data collection to assess the impact of mandated benefits and providers, including costs to employers and insurers, impact of treatment, cost savings in the health care system, number of providers, and other data as may be appropriate;
(2) Advise and assist the Insurance Department on matters relating to mandated insurance benefits and provider regulations;
(3) Prescribe the format, content, and timing of information to be submitted to the advisory commission in its assessment of proposed and existing mandated benefits and providers. Such format, content, and timing requirements shall be binding upon all parties submitting information to the advisory commission in its assessment of proposed and existing mandated benefits and providers;
(4) Provide assessments of proposed and existing mandated benefits and providers and other studies of mandated benefits and provider issues as requested by the General Assembly;
(5) Provide additional information and recommendations, relating to any system of mandated health insurance benefits and providers, to the Governor and the General Assembly, upon request; and
(6) Report annually on its activities to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having jurisdiction over insurance by December 1 of each year.
(e) (1) Whenever legislation containing a mandated health insurance benefit or provider is proposed, the standing committee of the General Assembly having jurisdiction over the proposal shall request that the advisory commission prepare and forward to the Governor and the General Assembly a study that assesses the social and financial impact and the medical efficacy of the proposed mandate. The advisory commission shall be given a period of six months, or until commencement of the next General Assembly, whichever is longer, to complete and submit its assessment.
(2) The advisory commission shall assess the social and financial impact and the medical efficacy of existing mandated benefits and providers in effect as of January 1, 2012. The advisory commission shall submit a schedule of evaluations to the standing committees of the General Assembly having jurisdiction over health insurance matters by May 1, 2012, setting forth the dates by which particular mandates shall be evaluated by the advisory commission. The evaluations shall be completed and submitted to such standing committees no later than December 31, 2012.
(f) The Insurance Department, the Department of Labor, the Department of Community Health, and such other state agencies as may be considered appropriate by the advisory commission shall provide staff assistance to the advisory commission.
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