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This Week in Health Care

This Week in Health Care

This Week in Health Care, March 3, 2010

Every Wednesday, Stateside Associates selects some health care-related state events to highlight in This Week in Health Care.

To provide feedback, or for more information about these issues or Stateside Associates’ Health Care Practice, please contact Robert Holden at (703) 525-7466 or rah@stateside.com.

GROUPS

The National Conference of Insurance Legislators’ (NCOIL) will hold its Spring Meeting March 5-7. The Spring Meeting will highlight several discussions from the following committees (1) The Health, Long-Term Care and Health Retirement Committee; (2) Life Insurance & Financial Planning Committee; and (3) Property-Casualty Insurance Committee as well as the NCOIL Institute for Insurance Policy Legislator Luncheon Workshop. Robert Holden at rah@stateside.com

The National Association of Counties will hold its Legislative Conference March 6-10, where the following topics will be discussed: Improving Public Health Through Better Land Use Planning; How ARRA and Meaningful Use Criteria Impacts County Mental Health Departments and Health Care Reform and the Federal Benefits Debate for Justice-Involved Individuals. Stefani Millie at skm@stateside.com

ALABAMA

The House Health Committee will meet 03/03/10 to discuss H.B. 595, which specifies that the profession of pharmacy includes consultation concerning prescription drugs prescribed for a patient. Tom Kaczmarek at tgk@stateside.com

COLORADO

The House Business Affairs and Labor Committee will meet 03/03/10 to discuss H.B. 1166, which requires health insurance policies to be written at or below the tenth-grade reading level, written in 12-point font or larger and to contain an index or table of contents if they are longer than three pages or 3,000 words. Jerad Ferguson at jbf@stateside.com

CONNECTICUT

The Department of Social Services’ Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee will meet 03/04/10 to review therapeutic drug classes. David Kennedy at dak@stateside.com

FLORIDA

The Senate Health Regulation Committee will hold a public hearing 03/04/10 to discuss S.B. 958, which requires the State Health Consumer Health Information and Policy Advisory Council to develop the Agency for Health Care Administration’s strategic plan for electronic health records. Carly Simpson at cms@stateside.com

The Department of Health is discussing amendments to a rule concerning restricted prescription drug distributor permits. Becky Lukaesko at bml@stateside.com

The Board of Pharmacy is discussing draft amendments to a rule concerning special pharmacies to incorporate by reference a revised permit application form. Becky Lukaesko at bml@stateside.com

ILLINOIS

The Senate Insurance Committee will meet 03/04/10 to discuss S.B. 2516, which would require insurers to provide coverage for hearing instruments for individuals who receive a prescription from a hearing care professional. Jerad Ferguson at jbf@stateside.com

MAINE

The Joint Insurance and Financial Services Committee will hold a work session 03/09/10 to discuss L.D. 1773, which requires health insurance policies, contracts and certificates that provide dental plans to provide coverage of dependent children from birth if the policyholder elects to participate in the dependent coverage plan. Tom Kaczmarek at tgk@stateside.com

MARYLAND

The Senate Finance Committee will meet 03/04/10 to discuss S.B. 593, which requires insurers to pay claims submitted by freestanding medical facilities at rates set by the Health Services Cost Review Commission. Max Behlke at mrb@stateside.com




2010 PRIMARY DATES - NEW FACTPAD INSERTS

Two new Stateside Associates FactPad inserts have been added to our stable of handy reference guides.  Presented in both date and state order, these inserts will help you plan for gubernatorial, attorney general and state legislative primaries across the US.

You can find these and the many other FactPad inserts available from Stateside Associates by clicking here.  If you do not have a FactPad yet, please contact Jeannette Lowe at jrl@stateside.com.  FactPads are free to Stateside Associates clients and available for a nominal fee for others. 


NEW MAP INTERFACE FOR STATE LEGISLATIVE MONITORING

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