With just days left in Ky’s legislative session, here’s a roundup of health-related bills close to final passage
By Melissa Patrick
Kentucky Health News
With just days left in the General Assembly’s short, odd-year session, many health-related bills are still on the table, and only a few have become law. Here’s a roundup of some health-related legislation.
Birthing Centers, HB 90, sponsored by Majority Whip Jason Nemes, R-Middletown, is a sister bill to SB 17, which would remove the certificate of need requirement for freestanding birthing centers if they meet the bill’s requirements. The bill passed out of the House on an 82-9 vote. It now resides in the Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee and has had two of its three required readings.
Medicaid and EMS payments: HB 152, sponsored by Rep. Michael Meredith, R-Oakland, would allow public ground ambulance providers to participate in a Medicaid supplemental payment program. This bill passed out of the House on a 94-0 vote, with a committee substitute. It has been assigned to the Senate Health Services Committee and is on the March 10 agenda to be heard.
Cigar Bars: HB 211, sponsored by Rep. Chris Lewis, R-Louisville, would allow cigar bars even in communities with existing smoke-free laws. This bill passed out of the House on a 74-19 vote, with some changes. Despite strong pushback from opponents of the bill, who said it takes away local authority on this issue and is a huge step backward when it comes to public health, it passed 8-2 out of the Senate State and Local Government Committee. HB 211 has had two of its three required readings and awaits a vote in the full Senate.
Colorectal screenings: HB 421, sponsored by Rep. Amy Neighbors, R-Edmonton, would require health benefit plans to provide coverage for all colorectal cancer examinations and laboratory tests specified in the United States Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer guidelines, including early screening for those at high risk. It would also require coverage of all approved bowel preparations and remove prior authorization requirements for bowel preparations. It also would provide some cost-sharing exemptions. This bill passed out of the House 98-0. It now resides in the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, with one of its three required readings.
Prior authorization: HB 423, sponsored by Rep. Kim Moser, R-Taylor Mill, would require health insurers to allow qualifying health care providers to bypass prior authorization requirements for certain services. This bill passed out of the House 91-0 with a committee substitute and is posted for passage in the Senate Regular Orders of the Day for Tuesday, March 11.
Fluoridation: House Bill 16, sponsored by Rep. Mark Hart, R-Falmouth, would allow local water system’s governing bodies to decide whether to have fluoridated water. The bill passed 68-29 out of the House on Feb. 26 and now resides in the Senate Health Services Committee, but has not yet been heard. While this bill is not as far along as other bills, it is a hot-topic bill that could still be passed. Opponents of this bill say this will result in increased tooth decay in children.
Birthing Centers: SB 17, sponsored by Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer, R-Alexandria, would remove the certificate of need requirement for freestanding birthing centers if they meet the bill’s requirements. This is a companion bill to HB 90. It passed out of the Senate 34-0-3 and now resides in the House Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations Committee, with two of its three required readings.
Tobacco, vape shop licensing: SB 100, sponsored by Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, would license all retailers who sell tobacco and vape products and give the Kentucky Department of Alcohol Beverage Control inspection and enforcement powers over them, similar to that over alcohol sales. The bill would also allocate a portion of the fines collected from violations to fund youth vaping prevention and cessation programs. It passed out of the Senate, with some changes, on a vote of 33-3. It now resides in the House Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations Committee and has received two of its three required readings.
Hemp-infused beverages: SB 202, sponsored by Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, would regulate cannabis-infused beverages to protect consumers and establish oversight under the Kentucky Department of Alcohol Beverage Control. It passed out of the Senate on a 29-6 vote with some changes. It now resides in the House Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations Committee and has had one of its three required readings.