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Committee advances plan to fund bariatric coverage through state defrayal option
Summary
Senate Bill 464 (discussed as SB 461/464) was reported with amendments; proponents said the measure would let the state partially or fully defray costs of a prior bariatric mandate so insurers cover surgeries based on available funding.
Ryan Haney of the Louisiana Bariatric Association and Frank (Department of Insurance) told the committee that SB 464 modifies earlier Act 504 language to allow implementation of a bariatric surgery benefit through the state defrayal mechanism — either full defrayal or partial funding with insurer obligations scaled to available public funding.
Frank explained that federal changes closed the prior no‑cost pathway for implementing the mandate and that this bill creates a sliding‑scale defrayal approach similar to how other state programs operate: insurers’ obligations would depend on the degree of state funding allocated for the year. The committee adopted technical amendments and reported the bill with amendments; sponsors said they will continue working with finance committee members on available funding options.
No vote tallies were recorded in committee; technical amendment set 2847 was adopted prior to reporting the bill.
