At the Arizona House’s Health and Human Services Committee meeting on Friday, lawmakers narrowly approved House Bill 2312 by a 5-4 vote. HB 2312 specifies that facilities that don’t allow biological male employees to be in the presence of a woman or minor children while living in the facility are not liable for gender discrimination, … Read more
Last Wednesday, the Florida Health Insurance Advisory Board (FHIAB) voted unanimously to send a set of policy recommendations developed by Florida Voices for Health to the state legislature for consideration in the 2023 legislative session. The 8 consumer policy recommendations were presented to the FHIAB by Florida Voices for Health Program Director and … Read more
With the Michigan Legislature on summer break, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed 2 pieces of public health legislation yesterday. One package raises the state age of requirement to buy tobacco from 18 to 21, and House Bill 5166 expands access to naloxone treatment. “I am signing several bipartisan bills to protect public health and … Read more
At their last Health and Human Services Interim Committee meeting, the Utah Legislature continued their conversation on efforts to lower and contain prescription drug prices. The committee heard from Milligram—a company that aims to find lower cost and high quality medications for employers and consumers—hoping to partner with the state of Utah to find lower … Read more
The Michigan FY 2023 $69 billion budget omnibus bill—House Bill 5783—adopted the negotiated Conference Committee Budget and was passed by the House and Senate on Friday, July 1st. It’s awaiting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s signature to be finalized. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) items in the budget for FY 2023 is $200 … Read more
Finding ways to improve mental health continues to be at the center of the House Health Policy Committee in the Michigan Legislature. At its recent meeting on June 16th, the committee discussed bills that would require mental health parity reports to state organizations and reduce Certificate of Need (CON) requirements for psychiatric beds and programs. … Read more
Nursing home representatives and legislators are progressing legislation to rein in “adversarial and punitive” regulatory surveyor citations to limit the persistent challenges faced by staff from these numerous regulatory actions, said Richie Farran, VP of Government Services at the Health Care Association of Michigan. The Senate Health Policy and Human Services Committee heard testimony for … Read more
As issues with lead poisoning continue to affect Michiganders in places like Benton Harbor, the legislature is working on bills to require lead screenings for school-aged children across the state. House Bills 4678 and 4679 were heard at the Michigan House Health Policy Committee meeting on May 26th. These bills would require providers to screen … Read more
The Michigan House Health Policy Committee recently heard a bill on May 26th that would replace the federal, private individual and small group marketplaces with a state-based health insurance exchange. House Bill 6112 would create the nonprofit MIHealth Marketplace and the MIHealth Marketplace board, which aims to give Michigan more flexibility and control over the … Read more
Interim talks in the Utah Legislature echo similar unresolved themes as the recently ended legislative session, including lowering the cost of health care while improving quality, expanding behavioral health services, and expanding the safety net. The Health and Human Services Interim Committee met for the first time on Wednesday to discuss the interim study items, … Read more