I hope everyone got caught up on their rest- the one-month sprint to the finish starts next week. Legislators return to Springfield on Tuesday, and with few exceptions, will not leave until the scheduled adjournment on May 19.
Committees Posted for Next Week
Senate Insurance Tuesday 530 pm
HB 1186 (Croke-Fine ) - Amends the Health Maintenance Organization Act. Provides that the powers of a health maintenance organization include the voluntary use of a referral system for enrollees to access providers under contract with or employed by the health maintenance organization. Provides that the provisions shall not be construed as requiring the use of a referral system to obtain a certificate of authority. The Chamber supports this bill.
HB 1384 (Cassidy- Capel) insurance mandate for medically necessary reconstructive services.
HB 1565 (Stuart-Cappel) insurance mandate for vaginal estrogen.
HB 2189 (Guzzardi-Murphy) $35 insulin.
HB 2350 (Cassidy- Pacione-Zayas) insurance mandate for pap tests and prostate cancer screenings for all insured (rather than by gender).
HB 2443 (Chung-Koehler) – insurance mandate for hearing aid coverage for adults (current law already mandates coverage for minors).
HB 2799 (Hammond-Koehler) – insurance mandate, this time for proton beam therapy with the same standards as used for any other radiation therapy.
House Human Services Committee meets Wednesday at 8:30 am. There is one bill of interest:
SB 67 (Fine-Moeller) which requires the Department of Public Health to provide all newborns with screening tests for the presence of metachromatic leukodystrophy. Requires the testing to begin within 6 months following the occurrence of specified milestones. Allows the Department to require payment of an additional fee for the provision of metachromatic leukodystrophy screening tests.
House Labor & Commerce meets Wednesday at 3 pm. There is one bill of interest:
HB 3338 (Mah) Creates the Safe Patient Limits Act. Provides the maximum number of patients that may be assigned to a registered nurse in specified situations. Nothing shall preclude a facility from assigning fewer patients to a registered nurse than the limits provided in Act. Further, nothing in the Act precludes the use of patient acuity systems consistent with the Nurse Staffing by Patient Acuity Act; however, the maximum patient assignments in the Act may not be exceeded, regardless of the use and application of any patient acuity system. All facilities shall adopt written policies and procedures for training and orientation of nursing staff and that no registered nurse shall be assigned to a nursing unit or clinical area unless that nurse has, among other things, demonstrated competence in providing care in that area. Establishes recordkeeping requirements. Provides that the written policies and procedures for the training and orientation of nursing staff shall require that all temporary personnel receive the same amount and type of training and orientation that is required for permanent staff. Provides specified nurse rights and protections. Provides that a hospital shall not mandate that a registered professional nurse delegate nursing interventions.
This bill has attracted considerable public attention with nearly 1,000 witness slips filed fairly evenly divided between proponents and opponents. I’d love to hear your feedback on this bill.
Chamber Day is Tuesday. Last Chance to Register!
Please remember to register for Chamber Day on April 18th. We have confirmed all four legislative leaders will be on hand to give their thoughts on this session and answer a few questions from those present. Registration information is here:
Sponsorships for this event have sold out. Thank you to all who sponsored!
