HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1678        FILED ON: 1/19/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 500

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

James M. Cantwell

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act concerning the safety of autistic and alzheimer individuals.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

James M. Cantwell

4th Plymouth

1/19/2017

Christine P. Barber

34th Middlesex

2/2/2017

Thomas J. Calter

12th Plymouth

1/27/2017

Josh S. Cutler

6th Plymouth

2/3/2017

Kimberly N. Ferguson

1st Worcester

1/31/2017

William C. Galvin

6th Norfolk

2/1/2017

Anne M. Gobi

Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex

2/2/2017

Paul R. Heroux

2nd Bristol

2/2/2017

Louis L. Kafka

8th Norfolk

1/30/2017

Jay R. Kaufman

15th Middlesex

1/31/2017

Barbara A. L'Italien

Second Essex and Middlesex

2/2/2017

Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.

12th Hampden

1/25/2017

Chris Walsh

6th Middlesex

2/3/2017

Patrick M. O'Connor

Plymouth and Norfolk

1/31/2017


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1678        FILED ON: 1/19/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 500

By Mr. Cantwell of Marshfield, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 500) of James M. Cantwell and others for legislation to provide insurance coverage for the use of electronic tracking devices to protect the safety of persons with Autism spectrum disorder or Alzheimer’s disease.  Financial Services.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 913 OF 2015-2016.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

_______________

 

An Act concerning the safety of autistic and alzheimer individuals.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1: Chapter 118E of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2014 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 9C the following section:-

Section 9D. (a) Definitions. As used in the section: 

(i) “Technology-Assisted Tracking Device” shall mean any wearable device that complies with the following imperatives:

a)Waterproof and able to function under water (which is a major destination as seen above), compliant with IP66 and IP68 standards

b) Works indoors or under cover (Radio Frequency is the best technology for this), and does not need direct line of sight to the sky (GPS)

c) Not dependent on third-party public communication networks (such as cellular, GSM, GPRS, or similar as these are NOT prevalent everywhere)

d) Wrist or ankle strap needs to be tamper-resistant, but changeable by the caregiver directly

e) System specifics need to avoid false alarms in order not to waste LE and SAR time, and have a patient specific code for each device so as to avoid mistaken identities

(b) A health benefit plan shall provide full coverage, subject to all applicable co-payments, coinsurance, deductibles, and out-of-pocket limits, for insured individuals who are diagnosed by a license physician with dementia, Alzheimer's disease, or Autism spectrum Disorder, to obtain a Technology-Assisted Tracking Device if they or their guardian choose.