SSB 1189 – Medicaid must provide tobacco cessation services without prior authorization
SSB 1209 – DHS to implement new federal Family First Act
SSB 1210 – Integrating Medicaid and hawk-i
SSB 1211 – Child Support Recovery fees
SSB 1231 – Eliminating prior authorization for certain substance abuse treatment
SSB 1232 – Dually eligible Medicare and Medicaid members in nursing facilities
SF 60 – Results of the Congenital and Inherited Disorders advisory committee
SF 291 – Pharmacists authority to refill insulin prescriptions
SF 292 – Non-medical switching
SF 347 – Pharmacy Benefit Manager’s annual report
SF 348 – Pharmacists dispensing birth control
SF 360 – Powers of care and custody of children
SF 387 – Data registry on pediatric congenital heart surgery
SF 419 – Mandatory reporter training requirements
SF 421 – Reinstatement of parental rights
COMMITTEE ACTION:
SSB 1189 – Medicaid must provide tobacco cessation services without prior authorization
SSB 1189 requires Medicaid fee for service and Medicaid provided through the private managed care organizations to provide tobacco cessation services without prior authorization. A strike-after amendment adopted in committee requires the treatment without prior authorization. However, after two failed attempts within 18 months, any subsequent request for the treatment will require prior authorization. For Medicaid members under 18, age-appropriate FDA guidelines must be followed and prior authorization is required for nicotine replacement therapy.
[3/4: short form]
SSB 1197 – Codifying the Children’s State Board
SSB 1197 codifies that the Children’s State Board will provide oversight to the Children’s Mental Health System. It sets up the regional governance structure for the children’s system by adding members and advisory councils to the current Mental Health and Disability Services (MHDS) Regional governing boards. The MHDS regional boards must hire a children’s coordinator. Eligibility for services is defined, as well as core services. No new funding mechanism is established.
[3/4: short form]
SSB 1209 – DHS to implement new federal Family First Act
SSB 1209 is a Department of Human Services (DHS) bill allowing DHS to prepare for implementation of the new federal Families First Prevention and Services Act (Family First Act). The bill requires DHS to be more persistent in establishing and keeping foster care kids in their medical home and amends case plan requirements accordingly. It requires DHS to send “Proof of Foster Care” letters to youth so they can use the letter for eligibility for Medicaid or educational assistance, etc. Promoting frequent visits between parents and children is required unless doing so would cause eminent risk to the child’s life or health. The Family First Act promotes practices to keep a child from entering foster care by using support systems within the family of origin, which families and grandparents have been advocating for. Standards regarding national background checks are elevated to anyone “working in a facility where children reside.”
[3/4: short form]
SSB 1210 – Integrating Medicaid and hawk-i
SSB 1210 integrates Medicaid and Healthy and Well Kids in Iowa (hawk-i) program eligibility, payment and administrative functions by eliminating the use of an administrative contractor under the hawk-i program and transferring the duties of the administrative contractor to DHS.
[3/6: short form]
SSB 1211 – Child Support Recovery fees
SSB 1211 is a DHS bill regarding Child Support Recovery fees. There are two fees associated with Child Support Recovery. The bill eliminates the application fee of $25. It changes the annual fee to what is required by federal law. The fee will be collected from the obligee after $550 in support has been distributed to the family. The fee is only charged if the obligee has never received cash assistance. The bill amends Iowa Code Chapter 252B to remove the specific amount of the fee and cites directly to federal law. This means that the state will not have to pass legislation each time the federal government makes changes.
[3/6: short form]
SSB 1231 – Eliminating prior authorization for certain substance abuse treatment
SSB 1231, after adoption of a strike-after amendment to match the House File, removes prior authorization requirements in Medicaid fee-for-service and managed care for Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for substance use disorders when the following medications are used: Methadone; Buprenorphine; Naloxone; Buprenorphine and Naloxone combination; and Naltrexone.
[3/6: short form]
SSB 1232 – Dually eligible Medicare and Medicaid members in nursing facilities
SSB 1232 requires DHS to seek approval from CMS to allow for the payment of nursing facility room and board expenses for a dually eligible Medicare and Medicaid member receiving the Medicare hospice benefit or a Medicaid-only member receiving hospice to be made directly to the nursing facility. Currently, the payments are made to hospice and passed along to the nursing facility. This bill is based on one of the options put forward by a 2018 interim workgroup.
[3/6: short form]
SF 60 – Results of the Congenital and Inherited Disorders advisory committee
SF 60, with a strike-after amendment adopted in committee, directs the Iowa Department of Public Health to submit a report of the results of the Congenital and Inherited Disorders advisory committee on the Iowa newborn screening panel to the Governor and Legislature by January 1 and advises the Congenital and Inherited Disorders committee that they may evaluate and make recommendations regarding the conditions included in the screening panel. Iowa currently screens for 31 of the 34 core conditions listed on the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP).
[3/6: short form]
SF 291 – Pharmacists authority to refill insulin prescriptions
SF 291 adds to the existing authority for a pharmacist to refill a prescription without prescriber authorization. A pharmacist may exercise professional judgment and refill a prescription for and dispense insulin without prescriber authorization if the following conditions exist: the pharmacy has a record of the patient’s expired prescription; the pharmacist is unable to contact the prescriber; and the insulin is essential to the health of the patient. Up to a 30-day supply can be dispensed one time in a 12-month period.
[3/6: short form]
SF 292 – Non-medical switching
SF 292 prevents an insurance company from switching medications on a person who is medically stable. Patients with chronic and complex diseases often require medication to stabilize their condition. Currently, insurers are allowed to force patients to move from treatments that are working for them to cheaper alternatives, which is known as non-medical switching. SF 292 requires insurers to maintain the successful medication if it continues to be prescribed by their doctor and the medication has been covered within either the current or a previous plan year. An amendment adopted in committee limits the non-medical switching prohibition to patients with epilepsy only.
[3/4: short form]
SF 347 – Pharmacy Benefit Manager’s annual report
SF 347, as amended in committee, requires a Pharmacy Benefit Manager to submit an annual report to the Insurance Commissioner regarding fees, drug prices and rebates received by the Pharmacy Benefit Manager in the aggregate. The bill also prohibits a health carrier from imposing a cost-sharing requirement on a covered person for a prescription drug that exceeds 51 percent of the health carrier’s cost for the prescription drug.
[3/6: short form]
SF 348 – Pharmacists dispensing birth control
SF 348 uses a “standing order” to allow pharmacists to dispense a 12-month supply of self-administered hormonal contraceptives, including oral contraceptives hormonal vaginal ring and hormonal patch. Patients must be 18 or over. Under the standing order, the pharmacist must complete a standardized training program and continuing education requirements; have the patient complete a self-screening risk assessment; provide written information to the patient; and provide patient counseling. After 24-months, the patient has to attest they have consulted with a practitioner. Insurance must pay for the 12-month supply but for replacing lost, stolen or destroyed meds. An amendment in committee added a dispensing fee for pharmacists; added a three-month supply for the initial visit and then a 12-month supply; requires the pharmacist to verify the patient’s age and do a blood pressure check; and added limited liability protections for pharmacists.
[3/4: short form (No: Carlin)]
SF 360 – Powers of care and custody of children
SF 360 allows a parent through a Power of Attorney to delegate to another person any powers regarding the care and custody of their child EXCEPT the power to consent to marriage, power to consent to adoption, power to consent to abortion and power to consent to termination of parental rights. The Power of Attorney is not to exceed six months with the option of an additional six months and never more than a year total.
[3/6: 8-5, party-line]
SF 387 – Data registry on pediatric congenital heart surgery
SF 387 requires a licensed hospital that provides pediatric congenital heart surgery to participate in a qualified clinical data registry and provide information regarding how to access the national information during educational consultations with parents.
[3/6: short form]
SF 419 – Mandatory reporter training requirements
SF 419 is based on an interim workgroup’s recommendations regarding mandatory reporter training requirements. The training is for child abuse and dependent adult abuse. The frequency of the required refresher training is changed from every five years to every three years. The training is two hours. The training is to be developed and provided by DHS (previously many curriculums were developed by numerous groups and approved by the Iowa Department of Public Health). An employer may provide supplemental training specific to the person’s professional practice.
[3/6: short form]
SF 421 – Reinstatement of parental rights
SF 421 allows reinstatement of parental rights in circumstances where many criteria have to be met and the between situation of the parent and child has changed since time of the termination of parental rights and reunification is now appropriate. The circumstances that must exist are: child was previous a Child in Need of Assistance; child’s former parent’s parental rights were terminated; child has not been adopted and child has not achieved the goals of the permanency plan; two years have passed; and the child is at least 12 years old. A six-month probationary period applies to reinstatements.
[3/6: short form]