Key health care bills pass House & Senate before end of ‘Crossover Day’
Keeping in mind that Wednesday was ‘Crossover Day’ – the last day a bill could move from one chamber to the other and still have a clear path to becoming law in 2018 – the Georgia House of Representatives passed a number of health care bills this week, including…
– H.B. 519 by Rep. Cooper (R-Marietta), which would add four exemptions to the state’s step therapy statute. MAG supports this measure, which has been assigned to the Senate Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee.
– H.B. 636 by Rep. Deborah Silcox (R-Sandy Springs), which would create a licensure requirement for genetic counselors. MAG is watching this legislation, which is headed to the Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee.
– H.B. 647 by Rep. Katie Dempsey (R-Rome), which would create a pilot program for members of the State Health Benefit Plan for the treatment and management of obesity, including medications and counseling. MAG is tracking this legislation, which has been assigned to the Senate HHS Committee.
– H.B. 673 by Rep. John Carson (R-Marietta), which would make it illegal for drivers to use a cell phone on anything other than a hands-free basis. MAG supports this legislation, which is going to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
– H.B. 818 by Rep. Lee Hawkins (R-Gainesville), which would prohibit insurers from restricting how health care providers get reimbursed (e.g., requiring credit card payment). MAG supports this bill, which has been assigned to the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee.
– H.B. 909 by Rep. Deborah Silcox (R-Sandy Springs), which would task the Georgia Department of Public Health with creating a state designation system – comparable to ones for strokes, trauma, and cardiac care – for perinatal facilities. MAG is watching this legislation, which is on its way to the Senate HHS Committee.
A number of important bills also passed the Georgia Senate this week, including…
– S.B. 325 by Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, M.D. (R-Marietta), which would clear the way for Georgia to join the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact – making it easier for physicians to obtain licenses in other participating states. MAG supports this bill, which has been assigned to the House HHS Committee.
– S.B. 334 by Sen. Renee Unterman (R-Buford), which would move the administration of the Georgia Board of Nursing from the Secretary of State’s office to the Georgia Department of Community Health. This board would operate on an independent basis – much like the Georgia Composite Medical Board does. MAG is watching this legislation, another bill that has been assigned to the House HHS Committee.
– S.B. 351 by Sen. Unterman, which would 1) increase the number of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) a physician can oversee with a protocol agreement at one time from four to eight and 2) allow physicians to delegate the ordering of radiographic images to APRNs. MAG is opposing to this legislation, which has been assigned to the House HHS Committee as well.
– S.B. 422 by Sen. Unterman, which would allow pharmacists to help patients perform and interpret any over-the-counter tests. MAG is watching this legislation, which is headed to the House HHS Committee.
– S.B. 434 by Sen. Unterman, which would 1) change the name of the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce to the Georgia Board for Health Care Workforce and 2) add a Georgia Nursing Leadership Coalition representative to the Board. MAG is keeping a close eye on this legislation, which has been assigned to the House HHS Committee.
– S.B. 359 by Sen. Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome), which would 1) result in greater transparency for elective procedures and 2) establish a patient/physician arbitration process for “unexpected events” that take place during elective medical procedures and 3) establish a standard physician payment model for out-of-network emergency care – the 80th percentile of the independent/neutral ‘FAIR Health’ database. MAG supports this bill, which is on its way to the House Insurance Committee.
– S.B. 382 by Sen. P.K. Martin (R-Lawrenceville), which would require the Georgia Department of Public Health to oversee any Georgia Board of Optometry-approved training programs that would allow optometrists to inject pharmaceutical agents. MAG continues to track this measure, which has been assigned to the House HHS Committee.
