Insurance: mental illness: developmental disabilities: coverage: penalties.

Existing law requires that health insurance policies provide coverage for the diagnosis and medically necessary treatment of severe mental illnesses of a person of any age and of serious emotional disturbances of a child, under the same terms and conditions applied to other medical conditions, as specified. Existing law requires health insurance policies to provide benefits for specified conditions, including coverage for behavioral health treatment, as defined, for pervasive developmental disorder or autism, as specified. This bill would give the Insurance Commissioner the authority to assess administrative penalties for any violations of the above provisions, including any rules or orders adopted or issued based on violations of those provisions. The bill would also give the commissioner authority to assess a penalty for each patient harmed by a violation of the above provisions, including any rules or orders adopted or issued based on violations of those provisions, as a separate and distinct violation. The penalties would not exceed $2,500 for each violation, or for an ongoing and continuous violation, the penalty would not exceed $2,500 per day for as long as the violation continues.