Legislative Alerts!
The following bills have been introduced which may have an impact on rural health in Virginia:
UPDATED 3/5/2026
Maternal, Infant, and Reproductive Health
Clarifies that a pregnant woman’s prenatal use of a controlled substance or drug as prescribed by such woman’s health care provider shall not solely be a reason to suspect that a child is abused or neglected.
Expands provision for payment of medical assistance for remote patient monitoring services provided via telemedicine to include all pregnant and postpartum persons.
HB456 – State Board of Health regulations; standards for levels of neonatal care. – PASSED
Directs the State Board of Health to establish standards for designation of care in neonatal services based on standards published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Requires the warden or other official in charge of a state correctional facility and the sheriff in charge of the local correctional facility, or his designee, or the jail superintendent of the regional correctional facility, or his designee, to compile a monthly summary of all of the following and submit such summary to the Director of the Department of Corrections or State Board of Local and Regional Jails, as applicable, each month: (i) the number of prisoners known to be pregnant in the facility, (ii) the number of prisoners in postpartum recovery in the facility, (iii) the number of women prisoners in the facility, (iv) the total number of prisoners in the facility, (v) the number of deaths of prisoners in the facility, (vi) the number of deaths of prisoners known to be pregnant in the facility, and (vii) the number of deaths of prisoners in postpartum recovery in the facility.
Directs the Commissioner of Health to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders, described in the bill, to evaluate the feasibility of a statewide maternal health safety initiative.
HB1389 – Health insurance; coverage for standard fertility preservation procedures. – FAILED
Requires health insurance carriers to provide coverage for standard fertility preservation procedures. The bill provides that “standard fertility preservation procedures” means procedures to preserve fertility that are consistent with established medical practices and professional guidelines published by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine or the American Society of Clinical Oncology for a person who has cancer, sickle cell disease, or other medical condition or is expected to undergo medication therapy, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or other medical treatment that is recognized by medical professionals to cause a risk of impairment to fertility.
HB1398 – Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Team established; penalty; report. – PASSED HOUSE
Establishes the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Team to develop and implement procedures to ensure that fetal and infant deaths occurring in the Commonwealth are analyzed in a systematic way.
HB1400 – Health insurance; coverage for maternal mental health screenings. – PASSED HOUSE
Requires health insurance carriers to provide coverage for maternal mental health screenings. The bill requires such coverage to include at least one maternal mental health screening to be conducted during pregnancy, at least one additional screening to be conducted during the first six weeks of the postpartum period, and additional medically necessary postpartum screenings.
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources (the Secretary) and the State Health Commissioner, by July 1, 2027, to establish, maintain, and annually update a website that provides information about public and private agencies, services, and programs available to pregnant women.
HB1468 – Health insurance; coverage for doula care services. – FAILED
Requires health insurers, corporations providing health care subscription contracts, and health maintenance organizations whose policy, contract, or plan includes coverage for obstetrical services to provide coverage for doula care services provided by a state-certified doula. The bill requires such coverage to include coverage for at least eight visits during the antepartum or postpartum period and support during labor and delivery.
HB1511 – Fatherhood Initiative – FAILED
Requires the Virginia Department of Social Services to develop and implement the Fatherhood Initiative for the purpose of focusing on the recognition of fathers as essential partners in child and family well-being, addressing a critical gap in family support services, and promoting positive father involvement linked to improved maternal, child, and family outcomes.
SB133 – Abused or neglected child; prenatal substance abuse. – PASSED
Specifies that, in the case of an infant affected by in utero substance exposure, evidence of substance exposure in a pregnant or postpartum woman is not solely a “reason to suspect that a child is abused or neglected.” The bill requires that evidence of harm or substantial risk of harm to a child and a pregnant woman’s compliance adherence to any substance use disorder treatment be included in any report of suspected child abuse or neglect.
SB168 – Certificate of public need; exception; maternal and perinatal health services. – FAILED
Creates an exception to certificate of public need requirements for any project or action related to maternal and perinatal health services. The bill also removes neonatal intensive care from the definition of tertiary care for purposes of determining health planning regions.
SB362 – Health insurance; coverage for donor human milk, penalties. – FAILED
Donor human milk banks; health insurance; coverage for donor human milk; penalties. Prohibits any person from establishing or operating a donor human milk bank, as defined in the bill, without first obtaining a license from the State Health Commissioner and makes it a Class 6 felony for any person to establish or operate a donor human milk bank in the Commonwealth without obtaining such license. The bill also establishes requirements, policies, and procedures for the operation and administration of licensed human donor milk banks, including procedures relating to disciplinary actions, application fees, and inspections and interviews related to such donor human milk banks.
SB548 – Abortion; born alive infant, treatment and care, penalty. – FAILED
Requires every health care provider licensed by the Board of Medicine who attempts to terminate a pregnancy to (i) exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of a human infant who has been born alive following such attempt as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health care practitioner would render to any other child born alive at the same gestational age and (ii) take all reasonable steps to ensure the immediate transfer of the human infant who has been born alive to a hospital for further medical care.
SB721 – Maternal Health Monitoring Pilot Program; established, report. – CONTINUED
Directs the Department of Health to implement the Maternal Health Monitoring Pilot Program that provides for remote patient monitoring for maternal hypertension and maternal diabetes.
Health Insurance, Billing, and Cost Transparency
Amends provisions related to the State Corporation Commission’s issuance of regulations to establish minimum standards regarding Medicare supplement policies to include minimum standards for risk adjustment mechanisms and the disclosure of methodology used in coverage decisions.
HB405 – Health Insurance Premium Stabilization Tax Credit Act; established, report. – FAILED
Establishes the Health Insurance Premium Stabilization Tax Credit Act, through which a qualified taxpayer, defined in the bill, shall be allowed a refundable income tax credit for taxable years 2026 through 2030 in an amount equal to such taxpayer’s certifiable premium.
HB424 – Health insurance; prohibited restrictions on in-network referrals. – PASSED HOUSE
Prohibits a health insurance carrier from prohibiting an in-network provider, as defined in the bill, from referring any patient or specimen to any in-network clinical laboratory or in-network pathology service provider under the terms of such insurance unless such referral would constitute a violation of certain laws.
HB1209 – Hospitals; itemized statements; non-emergent procedures, tests, or services. – FAILED
Requires hospitals to provide patients with an itemized statement of charges for services rendered for any non-emergent medical procedure, test, or service.
Requires health care providers to provide a good faith estimate of the payment amount for which the patient will be responsible for such nonemergency health care service, including any fees or other charges for an item or service the patient may receive in connection with the nonemergency health care service.
HB1450 – Health insurance; claims experience information. – PASSED HOUSE
Provides that provisions requiring insurers to provide policyholders with certain claims experience information apply to all employee welfare benefit plans and include pharmacy benefits claims.
Requires each carrier that offers a health plan in either the individual or small group market to ensure that at least 50 percent of all health plans offered by the carrier, or at least one health plan if the carrier offers fewer than two health plans, in each rating area and in each of the bronze, silver, gold, and platinum levels of coverage in the individual and small group market conform with the following: (i) a plan that offers a silver, gold, or platinum level of coverage limits a person’s cost-sharing payment for prescription drugs covered under the plan to an amount that does not exceed $100 per 30-day supply of the prescription drug and (ii) a plan that offers a bronze level of coverage limits a person’s cost-sharing payment for prescription drugs covered under the plan to an amount that does not exceed $150 per 30-day supply of the prescription drug.
Prohibits a carrier, intermediary, administrator, or representative of a carrier from downcoding a claim, as defined in the bill, unless the decision to downcode is reviewed by a licensed physician, advanced practice registered nurse, or physician assistant.
SB476 – Health insurance; prior authorization requests reviewed by physician. – FAILED
Requires a provider contract between a health insurance carrier and a provider to contain provisions requiring (i) any decision to deny a prior authorization request for drug benefits or health care services is made by a licensed physician who is (a) an expert in the treatment of the enrollee’s medical condition that is the subject of the prior authorization request and (b) knowledgeable about the recommended health care service or treatment through recent or current actual clinical experience treating patients with the same or similar medical condition of the enrollee and (ii) if the carrier is questioning the medical necessity of the request, the carrier will provide the enrollee’s physician an opportunity to discuss the medical necessity of the health care service with the physician who will be responsible for determining authorization of the health care service or drug benefit under review.
SB500- Health insurance; prior authorization for health care services. – FAILED
Decreases from 72 hours to 24 hours and from seven days to five days the time by which a health insurance carrier is required to respond to expedited and standard requests for prior authorization for health care services, respectively.
Prohibits an out-of-network health insurance provider from balance billing any enrollee for transportation provided by an emergency medical services vehicle, defined in the bill as any vehicle, vessel, or aircraft that holds a valid permit issued by the Office of Emergency Medical Services and that is equipped, maintained, or operated to provide emergency medical care or transportation of patients who are sick, injured, wounded, or otherwise incapacitated or helpless.
SB630 – Health insurance; tobacco surcharge. – PASSED
Eliminates the authority of a health carrier to vary its premium rates based on tobacco use. Under current law, a health carrier may charge premium rates up to 1.5 times higher for a tobacco user than for a nonuser.
SB790 – Health insurance; mandated benefits; treatment of menopause and perimenopause. – PASSED
Requires each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services to provide coverage for medically necessary treatment and care for menopause and perimenopause, as described in the bill.
Pharmacy and Medication Access
HB335 – Independent Pharmacy Access and Resilience Pilot Program; report; sunset. – FAILED
Establishes the Independent Pharmacy Access and Resilience Pilot Program in the Department of Health to strengthen and stabilize access to pharmacy services in medically underserved communities and communities at heightened risk of pharmacy closure.
Establishes the Prescription Drug Affordability Board (the Board) for the purpose of protecting the citizens of the Commonwealth and other stakeholders within the health care system from the high costs of prescription drug products. The bill requires the Board to meet in open session at least four times annually, with certain exceptions and requirements enumerated in the bill.
Decreases the cap on the cost-sharing payment that a covered person is required to pay for a covered prescription insulin drug from $50 to $35 for a 30-day supply of the prescription insulin drug and provides such cap is an aggregate cap that applies in situations where the covered person is prescribed more than one insulin drug.
Amends the definition of “pharmacy benefits management” to exclude certain activities and amends certain provisions related to prohibited conduct by health carriers and pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs). The bill prohibits a health carrier or PBM from denying a pharmacy the opportunity to participate in a network at preferred status if the pharmacy is willing to accept the same terms and conditions as other pharmacies that receive preferred status.
HB1416 – Pharmacists; initiation of treatment; influenza prophylaxis. – FAILED
Permits pharmacists to initiate treatment with, dispense, or administer drugs and devices for prophylactic purposes to prevent or mitigate the symptoms of influenza virus infection.
SB278 – Federal 340-B Drug Pricing Program; impacts within the Commonwealth. – PASSED
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to convene a work group to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the impacts of the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program within the Commonwealth, with emphasis on governance, transparency, and the availability of pharmacy services in rural and underserved areas.
SB421 – Remote pharmacist verification and counseling in opioid treatment programs. – PASSED
Authorizes a pharmacist licensed in the Commonwealth to exercise verification, counseling, and supervision duties remotely when a pharmacy technician or other authorized personnel dispenses medication prescribed for the management of opioid use disorder at a federally certified opioid treatment program.
Requires an insurer, corporation providing preferred provider subscription contracts, or health maintenance organization that provides coverage for drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration and prescribed for the treatment of cancer or diseases of the blood to allow, at the patient’s direction, (i) provider-administered drugs for such treatment to be dispensed by an in-network treating provider consistent with a provider agreement; (ii) provider-administered drugs for such treatment to be dispensed by an in-network treating provider when there is a documented delay of at least three days in the delivery of a medication from the designated specialty pharmacy; and (iii) self-administered drugs for such treatment to be sent to the pharmacy of the patient’s choosing.
Mental Health, Substance Use, and Opioid Response
HB209 – Department of Health; Department of Corrections; peer recovery specialists. – PASSED
Directs the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Department of Corrections to develop agency guidelines for hiring peer recovery specialists with previous criminal convictions for compensated employment.
HB875 – Kratom; manufacturing, selling, giving, distributing, or possessing, penalties. – FAILED
Provides that any person who knowingly manufactures, sells, gives, distributes, or possesses with the intent to manufacture, sell, give, or distribute kratom, when intended for human consumption, is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
HB1223 – Health professionals; mandatory suicide training required. – FAILED
Requires health care professionals to complete training in suicide assessment, treatment, and management. The bill requires counselors, licensed substance abuse treatment practitioners, marriage and family therapists, behavioral health technicians, qualified mental health professionals, occupational therapists, psychologists, and social workers to complete such training at least once every six years and requires other health professionals to complete such training once.
Directs the Board of Counseling to establish a pathway to licensure by endorsement for applicants who have held certification as a certified substance abuse counselor for at least 10 years, have completed at least five years of documented supervised experience, hold at least a master’s degree in an appropriate field of counseling, and hold a Master Addiction Counselor credential issued by NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals. The bill provides that such pathway to licensure by endorsement does not require examination.
Directs the Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to adopt regulations requiring providers of services for individuals with developmental disabilities to conduct regular emergency medical drills that prepare employees for situations where individuals receiving services require emergency medical treatment and train staff to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
SB308 – Drug overdose and drug overdose deaths; VDH to develop plan for opioid response. – PASSED
Directs the Department of Health to develop a strategic plan to reduce rates of opioid overdose and opioid overdose death in the Commonwealth by (i) conducting an evaluation and needs assessment of existing opioid overdose prevention, intervention, and treatment efforts in the Commonwealth, and (ii) collaborating with the Secretaries of Health and Human Resources, Education, and Public Safety and Homeland Security and such other stakeholders and state agencies as may be appropriate.
Directs the Department of Health to issue regulations that include quantitative network adequacy standards for timely access to care, travel time, and geographical distance that are at least as stringent as those imposed for qualified health plans and qualified dental plans.
SB534 – Emergency custody orders; transportation to treatment center, etc. – CONTINUED
Provides that transportation provided pursuant to an emergency custody order shall include, upon completion of emergency medical evaluation or treatment, transportation to an approved treatment center or to the residence of the person subject to the emergency custody order.
Requires the grant procedure to govern funds awarded to local and regional jails for the planning or operation of substance use disorder treatment services and transition services for persons with substance use disorder who are incarcerated in local and regional jails to include requirements that (i) any grant awarded shall be made for up to three years and (ii) an applicant for a grant submit a plan demonstrating how such applicant will become independently financially viable within the time period for which the grant is awarded.
SB608 – Peer recovery specialists; VDH & DOC to develop guidelines for hiring. – PASSED
Directs the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Department of Corrections to develop agency guidelines for hiring peer recovery specialists with previous criminal convictions for compensated employment.
SB706 – Opioid antagonist; distribution program, reports. – PASSED
Directs the Department of Health to maintain a list of agencies and organizations that submit requests for and receive opioid antagonists through its distribution program and requires the Department to submit a quarterly report to the Chairs of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Resources, House Health and Human Services Committee, Senate Finance and Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Resources, and Senate Subcommittee on Health, and the chair of the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority on its distribution of opioid antagonists.
Long-Term Care, Nursing Facilities, and Aging
Directs the Department of Health to include validation of compliance with federal reporting requirements in its inspection process for certified nursing facilities.
Directs the Department of Health to establish a nursing home information portal and the Department of Social Services to establish an assisted living facility information portal to consolidate publicly available information on nursing homes and assisted living facilities, respectively.
Creates a central registry of substantiated complaints of adult abuse, neglect, and exploitation to be maintained by the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services.
Directs the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services to convene a work group of relevant stakeholders for the purpose of conducting a comprehensive study of the quality of care, resident safety, and operational practices of nursing facilities in the Commonwealth.
SB260 – Senior Isolation Prevention Advisory Task Force; established, report. – PASSED SENATE
Establishes the Senior Isolation Prevention Advisory Task Force for the purpose of advising the Commissioner for Aging and Rehabilitative Services on strategies for reducing social isolation and loneliness among seniors and promoting volunteer engagement.
Directs the Department of Health and State Health Commissioner to take steps to improve care quality, protect residents, and strengthen oversight and accountability of nursing homes in the Commonwealth.
Workforce Development and Professional Standards
Directs the Board of Medicine and Board of Nursing to require certain licensees to complete continuing learning activities on bias reduction in health care as part of their continuing education and continuing competency requirements for licensure and authorizes the Board of Nursing to require certain continuing learning activities or courses in a specific subject area.
Directs the Boards of Medicine and Nursing to assess the feasibility of implementing a temporary or provisional licensure pathway for advanced practice registered nurses.
SB178 – Dental assistants; supragingival scaling and coronal polishing, certification. – PASSED
Permits any dental assistant I or dental assistant II with a minimum of 1,800 hours of clinical experience to obtain certification pursuant to the requirements of the bill to perform supragingival scaling and coronal polishing.
Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services, in coordination with the Department of Health, Department of Social Services, Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, and Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, to (i) evaluate opportunities for Medicaid managed care organizations to embed certified community health workers into care coordination models, (ii) evaluate the implementation of 2024 Medicare Community Health Integration services codes, (iii) develop and implement statewide workforce pathways for community health worker training, and (iv) identify opportunities to expand the use of community health workers in programs supporting high-cost Medicaid populations.
Permits the Board of Dentistry to grant a license to practice dental hygiene to persons who are eligible to practice dentistry in a country or jurisdiction outside of the United States and who are graduates of a dental school or college, or the dental department of an institution of higher education, located outside of the United States that the Board determines is acceptable.
Grants the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority the authority to administer scholarships related to nursing and to promulgate regulations exempt from the requirements of the Administrative Process Act as may be necessary to carry out the administration of nursing scholarship and loan programs.
SB625 – Medical Education Loan-for-Service Fund and Program established, report. – PASSED SENATE
Establishes the Medical Education Loan-for-Service Fund and Program (the Program) for the purpose of providing loans to any person enrolled in or admitted to an eligible institution, as defined in the bill, that shall be forgiven in whole or in part upon satisfactory completion of a service agreement entered into by a recipient to engage in clinical practice in a designated service area, as defined in the bill, for the requisite period and in accordance with the requirements set forth by the bill. The bill directs the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (the Council) and the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority (the Authority) to administer the Program and to enter into a memorandum of understanding establishing policies and procedures for the administration of the Program.
Public Health, Wellness, and Environmental Safety
HB348 – Residential Well Water Testing and Treatment Program and Fund; established. – FAILED
Directs the State Board of Health to adopt regulations to utilize point-of-use or point-of-entry drinking water treatment or filtration systems to remove or significantly reduce concentrations of perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorooctane sulfonate, and other established and emerging contaminants of concern that meet or exceed maximum contaminant levels or health advisory levels.
HB537 – Regulations governing waterworks; prohibition on fluoridation of water. – FAILED
Requires the Board of Health to include a prohibition on fluoridation of water in its regulations governing waterworks and requires testing for fluoridation to be included in chemical monitoring requirements for waterworks.
Directs the Department of Social Services, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Department of Health, the Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services, and any other relevant state agencies to convene a work group to develop a statewide survey on food insecurity and hunger.
HB1136 – Department of Health; mobile food units; centralized office; study; report. – FAILED
Directs the Department of Health to conduct a study to determine the viability of establishing a centralized mobile food unit office that processes licensure, permitting, taxation, and any other procedures relevant to the operation of a mobile food unit.
SB361 – Health insurance; coverage for contraceptive drugs and devices. – PASSED
Requires health insurance carriers to provide coverage, under any health insurance contract, policy, or plan that includes coverage for prescription drugs on an outpatient basis, for contraceptive drugs and contraceptive devices, as defined in the bill, including those available over-the-counter.
SB596 – Contraception; right to contraception; applicability; enforcement. – PASSED
Establishes a right to obtain contraceptives and engage in contraception, as such terms are defined in the bill.
Chronic Disease and Specialized Care
Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to determine the feasibility of participating in an optional Medicaid benefit for sickle cell disease and establishing Medicaid Health Homes to coordinate care and provide treatment for individuals with sickle cell disease.
HB392 – Sickle cell disease screening program; routine kidney cancer screening. – PASSED
Directs the Commissioner of Health to include routine kidney cancer screening in the screening program for sickle cell disease and the sickle cell trait for individuals diagnosed with sickle cell disease or the sickle cell trait who are 25 years of age or older.
Directs the Board of Health to include in its regulations a requirement that every hospital, nursing home, and certified nursing facility licensed by the Board (i) establish a system for identifying patients or residents who may benefit from palliative care and (ii) provide information about and facilitate access to appropriate palliative care services for patients or residents experiencing illness, injuries, or conditions that substantially affect quality of life for more than a short period of time.
HB1391 – Sickle Cell Coordinated Access Network established. – PASSED HOUSE
Directs the State Health Commissioner to establish the Sickle Cell Coordinated Access Network to provide health care providers in the Commonwealth with real-time consultation and support from sickle cell specialists.
SB359 – Health care; decision-making; end of life; penalties. – FAILED
Allows an adult diagnosed with a terminal disease to request and an attending health care provider to prescribe self-administered aid in dying medication for the purpose of ending the patient’s life. The bill requires that a patient’s request for self-administered aid in dying medication to end his life be given orally on two occasions and in writing, signed by the patient and one witness, and that the patient be given an express opportunity to rescind his request at any time.
Emergency Services and Rural Access
SJ23 – Study; JLARC; creation of Secretariat of Rural Affairs; report. – FAILED
Directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the need for and feasibility of creating a Secretariat of Rural Affairs in the Commonwealth.
SB100 – Volunteer emergency responders, protection of employees; civil action. – PASSED
Prohibits an employer from discharging, disciplining, threatening, discriminating against, or penalizing an employee or taking other retaliatory action regarding an employee’s compensation, terms, conditions, location, or privileges of employment solely because the employee fails to report for work because such employee is serving as a voluntary emergency responder, as defined in the bill, and is actively responding to an emergency alarm or during a state of emergency, provided that certain requirements are met.
Directs the State Board of Health to include a provision in the state plan for medical assistance services to implement a supplemental payment program for qualified volunteer emergency medical services agencies to cover the difference between the agency’s costs for ground emergency medical services vehicle transport services and the reimbursement amount received from the Department of Medical Assistance Services.
SB239 – Certificate of public need; medical deserts, expedited review, etc. – PASSED
Adds projects located within medical deserts, defined in the bill, to the list of projects for which there is an expedited certificate of public need application and review process and directs the State Health Services Plan Task Force to include specific criteria for determining need in medical deserts.
Prohibits an out-of-network health insurance provider from balance billing any enrollee for transportation provided by an emergency medical services vehicle, defined in the bill as any vehicle, vessel, or aircraft that holds a valid permit issued by the Office of Emergency Medical Services and that is equipped, maintained, or operated to provide emergency medical care or transportation of patients who are sick, injured, wounded, or otherwise incapacitated or helpless.
Healthcare Facility Regulation and Medicaid Administration
Creates an exception from the requirement to obtain a certificate of public need for facilities for outpatient or ambulatory surgery with up to three operating rooms that are not affiliated with a hospital.
Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services (the Department) to, conditional on the receipt of all necessary approvals and the securing of federal financial participation, implement a provision for payment of medical assistance for nutrition services programs which may include case management, nutrition counseling and instruction, home-delivered meals and pantry stocking, nutrition prescriptions, and grocery provisions.
Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to establish an expedited review process for Medicaid service authorization requests involving time-sensitive, life-sustaining treatment when a delay in authorization would pose a significant risk to the health and safety of an individual.
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Resources (the Secretary) to convene a work group to study the impact of private equity on health care.
Expands the reporting requirements for incidents of workplace violence in hospitals by requiring additional descriptors of incidents, requiring hospitals to report collected data to additional parties, and directing the Department of Health to publish a report containing an annual summary of such data.
Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services (the Department) to seek the necessary permission from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to oversee the activities of Medicaid-enrolled services facilitators. The bill directs the Department to amend its regulations to provide that a member shall maintain enrollment in medical assistance programs when such enrollment would lapse as a result of failure of a services facilitator to conduct an eligibility determination and such member otherwise meets the requirements for eligibility for medical assistance.
SB114 – Medicaid waivers; consumer-directed services, employer of record. – CONTINUED
Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) to modify the program rules for consumer-directed services available through certain Medicaid waivers to allow an individual receiving services to serve as the employer of record (EOR) for his own service delivery and designate another individual to perform all or a portion of the duties of the EOR on the individual’s behalf when the individual receiving services is unable to perform such duties or direct his own care.