January 6, 2020


D ear HCMA members and colleagues:

I w anted to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very safe, healthy, and Happy New Year. As we just closed out another year, I also wanted to remind you on laws that passed in 2019 of which several that have taken effect on January 1, 2020.
A Look Back at 2019

Summary o f the major health related laws that passed in Connecticut.

Provided civil liability immunity to physicians, dentists, and nurses who operate an automatic external defibrillator (AED) for personal injury damages caused by the AED’s malfunctioning, if the malfunctioning was not due to the provider’s negligence ( Public Act 19-113). This proposal was a HCMA initiative.

Help ed Victims of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault  by creating parity between sexual assault in the case of a spousal or cohabitating relationship and other crimes of sexual assault ( Public Act 19-189 ) .

Improv ed Access to Women’s Health Care by promoting screening for cancers that impact women ( Public Act 19-45 ) , allowing for Medicaid reimbursement for donor breast milk when medically necessary ( Public Act 19-48 ) and expanding health insurance coverage for preexisting conditions

Created Parity for Mental Health Care by passing legislation that seeks to increase access to treatment for mental health issues and substance abuse ( Public Act 19-159 ) .

Combat ed Opioid Abuse by increasing the penalties for the sale of Fentanyl ( Public Act 19-38 ) and establishing new requirements when prescribing an opioid for an extended period of time 

Protected Senior s by expanding training for Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and treatment ( Public Act 19-115 ) , expanding health insurance coverage for hearing aids ( Public Act 19-133 ) and establishing a Community Ombudsman program to investigate complaints concerning care received by recipients of home and community-based services to help seniors aging in place ( Special Act 19-18 ) .

P rotect ed Children by prohibiting the sale of tobacco products including vaping products to people under age 21 ( Public Act 19-13 ) , helping schools better address bullying  ( Public Act 19-166 ) and strengthening school security and safety plan standards ( Public Act 19-52 ) . 
Health Related Laws Effective January 1, 2020

AN ACT CONCERNING PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS.
Public Act No. 18-41 (See Sec. 1)

AN ACT CONCERNING PAID FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE.
Public Act No. 19-25 (See Sec. 10)

AN ACT CONCERNING MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER BENEFITS.
Public Act No. 19-159 (See Sec. 2-5)

AN ACT CONCERNING THE LEGISLATIVE COMMISSIONERS' RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REVISIONS TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH STATUTES, DENTAL ASSISTANTS AND DENTAL THERAPY.
Public Act No. 19-56 (See Sec. 14)

AN ACT CONCERNING DENTAL PRACTITIONERS.
Public Act No. 19-72 (See Sec. 1-9)

AN ACT CONCERNING ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND DEMENTIA TRAINING AND BEST PRACTICES.
Public Act No. 19-115 (See Sec. 1-2)

AN ACT EXPANDING REQUIRED HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR HEARING AIDS.

AN ACT EXPANDING REQUIRED HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR PREEXISTING CONDITIONS.

AN ACT CONCERNING TRAINING FOR CERTAIN PUBLIC SAFETY AND EMERGENCY SERVICES PERSONNEL.
Public Act No. 19-147 (See Sec. 1)

AN ACT CONCERNING CONTRACTING HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS AND DENTISTS, DENTAL PLANS AND PROCEDURES.
S ummary

AN ACT CONCERNING VISION PLANS, OPTOMETRISTS AND OPHTHALMOLOGISTS.

Contact our new executive director, Mark Thompson, at markt@fcma.org or call 203-513-2045 should you have questions concerning any of these new laws.

Sincerely,

Khuram Ghumman, MD
President