HCS/SCS/SBs 763 & 545 - This act requires the Department of Health, after consultation with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to write rules governing the immunization for Hepatitis B to be required for children attending public, private, parochial or parish schools. These rules and regulations may modify the immunizations required in Section 167.181 RSMo.

The act would also require all limited mandate health insurance policies and contracts of health insurance as defined in Section 376.960 RSMo to provide coverage for immunization of children from birth to 5 years of age.

The act would require all other individual and group health insurance policies which provide coverage on an expense-incurred basis issued by a health services corporation, health maintenance organization and all managed health care delivery entities to provide coverage for immunizations of a child from birth to 5 years of age. This requirement would not apply to supplemental insurance policies, including life care contracts, accident-only policies, specified disease policies, hospital policies providing a fixed daily benefit only, Medicare supplement policies, long- term care policies and other supplemental policies.

The act also allows a parent to delegate in writing the parent's consent to specific individuals, including grandparents of the minor, adult siblings of the minor, adult aunts or uncles of the minor, a stepparent or another adult who has care and control of the minor, for the immunization of a minor.

The act would also allow any adult to consent to the immunization of a child if the parent is not reasonably available and the authority to consent is not denied.

A health care provider may rely on a document from another state that contains the same information required in any immunization consent rules and regulations of the Department of Health and is presented for consent by an authorized person.

This act is similar to HCS/HBs 904, 788 & 966.
CHERYL GRAZIER