This Week in Health Care

Every Thursday, Stateside Associates selects health care-related state and local events to highlight in This Week in Health Care.

For more information on our Health Care Practice, please visit here.

STATE AND LOCAL HIGHLIGHTS

ALASKA

The House Health and Social Services Committee will hold a hearing on March 14 regarding HB 187. This measure creates a prior authorization exemption (gold card) for qualified providers.

Contact: Allison Collins

 

CALIFORNIA

The Assembly Committee on Health will hold a hearing on March 19 regarding AB 1842. This measure provides that healthcare services cannot subject any of the following to prior authorization or step therapy:

  •  A naloxone product or another opioid antagonist approved by the FDA;
  • A buprenorphine product or long-acting injectable naltrexone for detoxification or maintenance treatment of a substance use disorder.

Contact: Allison Collins

 

COLORADO

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee will hold a hearing on March 14 regarding SB 124. This measure requires all individual and group health benefit plans to provide coverage for biomarker testing to guide treatment decisions if the testing is supported by medical and scientific evidence.

Contact: Olivia O'Donnell

 

The House Health and Social Services Committee will hold a hearing on March 19 regarding HB 1005. This measure requires a health care insurance carrier to include a primary care provider as a participating provider in networks, narrow networks, and tiers of tiered networks of the carrier's health benefit plan if the primary care provider is: 

  • licensed to practice in the state;
  • certified or accredited by a national association;
  • enrolled in an alternative payment model; and
  • credentialed by federal law to receive reimbursement for the provision of care to patients receiving benefits from Medicaid.
  • This provision applies to health benefit plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027.  

Contact: Allison Collins

 

The Senate Health Committee will hold a hearing on March 20 regarding SB 1112. This measure requires coordination via an MOU between Medicaid MCOs and alternative payment agencies operating subsidized childcare services. This coordination is targeted to improve enrollment in Medicaid if eligible and access to early and periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment (EPSDT) services.

Contact: Dylan Hughes

 

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee will hold a hearing on March 20 regarding SB 168. This measure creates requirements for billing and reimbursing telehealth remote monitoring, and Medicaid coverage for continuous glucose monitors. 

Contact: Dylan Hughes

 

CONNECTICUT

The Joint Committee on Human Services will hold a hearing on March 14 regarding the following. For more information on these measures, contact Dylan Hughes.

  • SB 313: This measure extends presumptive Medicaid eligibility up to 6 years of age.
  • SB 365: This measure requires medical providers that receive reimbursement from the Department of Social Services under Medicaid to provide staff with education and training on workplace violence prevention.

ILLINOIS

The House Mental Health and Addiction Committee will hold a hearing on March 14 regarding HB 5313. The network plan will audit provider directories at least annually. The audit will be sent to the Department which will make it publicly available. The audit will include at least 10% of plans each year. 

Contact: Allison Collins

 

The House Public Health Committee will hold a hearing on March 14 regarding HB 4899. This measure prohibits the Department of Public Health from charging any fee to a certified local health department in connection with the licensure of a home health agency. 

Contact: Olivia O'Donnell

 

LOUISIANA

The House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing on March 18 regarding HB 403. This measure exempts infused, injected, or topical prescription drugs that treat ocular inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery from local sales and use taxes.

Contact: Matthew Lidz

 

MARYLAND

The House Health and Government Operations Committee will hold a hearing on March 14 regarding HB 1521. This measure removes many of the administration and eligibility requirements for CHIP, leaving general eligibility to those with a household income under 300% of the federal poverty level.

Contact: Dylan Hughes

 

MINNESOTA

The House Human Service Finance Committee will hold a hearing on March 14 regarding HF 3639. This measure provides Medicaid coverage for medically appropriate nutrition support to individuals with a documented​ need for nutrition support, including counseling, food prescriptions, delivered home meals and more. It requires a federal waiver to take effect.

Contact: Dylan Hughes

 

The Senate Human Service Finance Committee will hold a hearing on March 14 regarding SF 4778. This measure establishes the MinnesotaCare public option as a part of the MinnesotaCare program. This measure provides that public option enrollees are subject to the MinnesotaCare cost-sharing requirements with certain exceptions.

Contact: Dylan Hughes

 

NEW HAMPSHIRE

The House Education Committee will hold an executive session on March 18 regarding HB 1616. This measure requires parental consent for services provided under Medicaid. It specifically requires consent for services provided by educators on penalty of a code of conduct violation.

Contact: Dylan Hughes

 

NEW JERSEY

The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee will hold a hearing on March 14 regarding the following:

  • SB 1067: This measure establishes the Right to Mental Health for Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Act and establishes requirements for deaf or hard of hearing individuals (clients) for mental health services. 
    Contact: Olivia O'Donnell
  • SB 1423: This measure relates to Medicaid reimbursement and increases the rate for basic life support emergency ambulance transportation to $200, up from $58.
    Contact: Dylan Hughes
  • SB 1407: This measure requires Medicaid coverage for community violence prevention services.
    Contact: Dylan Hughes
  • SB 2504: This measure sets the Medicaid reimbursement rate for primary care and mental health services at 100% of the Medicare rate to be adjusted annually.
    Contact: Dylan Hughes

The Assembly Health Committee will hold a hearing on March 14 regarding AB 1825. The measure applies to health insurance carriers, utilization review organizations, and all health insurance policies and contracts delivered, issued, executed, or renewed on or after January 1, 2021.

Contact: Allison Collins

 

SOUTH CAROLINA

The Medical Affairs Subcommittee of the Senate Medical Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on March 14 regarding SB 858. This measure exempts acute hospital care at home programs and services delivered by a licensed acute care hospital from Certificate of Need review.

Contact: Olivia O'Donnell

 


GROUPS EVENTS

There are no upcoming health care-related groups events this week.

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