Health care coverage: autism.

Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires a health care service plan contract or a health insurance policy to provide coverage for behavioral health treatment for pervasive developmental disorder or autism and defines "behavioral health treatment" to mean specified services and treatment programs, including treatment provided pursuant to a treatment plan that is prescribed by a qualified autism service provider and administered either by a qualified autism service provider or by a qualified autism service professional or qualified autism service paraprofessional. Existing law defines "qualified autism service provider," "qualified autism service professional," and "qualified autism service paraprofessional" for those purposes. Those definitions are contained in the Health and Safety Code and the Insurance Code. This bill would move those definitions to the Business and Professions Code. The bill would also make technical and conforming changes. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 1367.27 of the Health and Safety Code and Section 10133.15 of the Insurance Code proposed by AB 280 to be operative only if this bill and AB 280 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 1374.73 of the Health and Safety Code and Section 10144.51 of the Insurance Code proposed by AB 951 to be operative only if this bill and AB 951 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 11165.7 of the Penal Code proposed by AB 653 and SB 848, to be operative only if this bill and either or both of those bills are enacted and this bill is enacted last.