Human Resources Committee – Week 6, 2020

COMMITTEE ACTION:

SF 123 – Collaborative Pharmacy Practice

SF 123 allows a pharmacist to engage in a collaborative pharmacy practice, in accordance with administrative rules adopted by the board of pharmacy and under a collaborative pharmacy practice agreement, to provide patient care and drug therapy management services to a patient, including a patient following a behavioral health diagnosis by a practitioner. The bill also provides that if a health benefit plan provides for payment or reimbursement for a service that is within the lawful scope of practice of a practitioner or pharmacist and the service is provided by a pharmacist pursuant to a collaborative pharmacy practice agreement, the health carrier may provide payment or reimbursement for the service. An amendment was adopted to exempt Medicaid from requirements of this bill.
[2/18: short form]

SF 443 – Occupational Therapists as “Mental Health Professionals”

SF 443 defines “mental health professional” under Code chapter 228 (disclosure of mental health and psychological information) to include an individual who is nationally certified, licensed by the board of occupational therapy, and has completed a practicum in a psychiatric setting or has had one year of experience in a psychiatric setting.
[2/18: short form]

SF 545 – Reinstatement of parental rights

SF 545 provides that a child, the child’s guardian ad litem (GAL), the Department of Human Services (DHS), or an agency or person to whom guardianship and custody of the child has been transferred following termination of the parental rights (TPR) of a parent, may petition the juvenile court to reinstate the previously terminated parental rights of the child’s former parent if certain circumstances exist making the child eligible to petition the court. These circumstances must exist: the child was previously found to be a child in need of assistance; the child’s former parent’s parental rights were terminated in a proceeding under the juvenile justice chapter (Code chapter 232); the child has not been adopted and the child has not achieved the goals of the child’s case permanency plan; two years have passed since the final order of termination of parental rights was entered; and the child is at least 12 years old at the time the petition is filed. However, upon the child’s motion for good cause shown or on the court’s own motion, the court may hear a petition filed by a child younger than 12. An amendment was adopted to make clarifications based on input from the Bar Association and Middleton Center: TPR cannot have been because of sexual abuse, near child fatality, suspicious child fatality or an incident of egregious abuse or neglect against a child; two years have passed since TPR; child is at least 12 or part of a sibling group; and court must determine that a parent’s deficits are remedied.
[2/18: short form]

SF 2084 – Insurance Coverage for PANS/PANDAS treatment

SF 2084 requires a health carrier that offers individual, group, or small group contracts, policies or plans in this state that provide for third-party payment or prepayment of health or medical expenses to offer coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of PANS and PANDAS as recommended by a health care professional for a covered person who is 18 or younger.
[2/18: short form]

SF 2128 – Medicaid coverage for breast pumps

SF 2128 directs the Department of Human Services (DHS) under both fee-for-service and managed care administration of Medicaid to adopt administrative rules, amend any contract with a managed care organization, and apply for any Medicaid state plan amendment or waiver as may be necessary to provide reimbursement for breast pumps, including electric breast pumps and associated breast pump supplies, as prescribed by a Medicaid member’s health care provider based on a determination of medical necessity. An amendment was adopted to clarifiy that the medical necessity can be for the mom or the baby.
[2/18: short form]

SF 2148 – DHS abuse report intake procedures

SF 2148 directs the Department of Human Services to adopt rules to use an audio script for the child abuse hotline that includes immunity and confidentiality information for callers. The script is: “The primary mission at the department of human services is to protect children, improve child and family well-being, and support and preserve families. You are protected by law from any liability from making a report in good faith, but please be aware it is against the law to intentionally make a false report of child abuse or neglect. If you suspect that a child is being abused, neglected, or is in danger of abuse, please stay on the line and your call will be answered by the next available social worker. All calls will be recorded and are kept confidential.”

An amendment was adopted unanimously requiring DHS to adopt a recommendation from the Ombudsman that intake workers repeat back to callers the statement they’ve provided about abuse.
[2/19: short form (No: Mathis, Ragan, Bolkcom, Jochum, Quirmbach; Excused: Johnson)]

SF 2172 – Child death certificate requirements

SF 2172 requires that a certificate of death form for medical examiner cases for infants zero to age three include a request for information regarding the date and type of the decedent’s last immunization. If the decedent received more than one immunization at the time of the last immunization, the information provided must include all types of immunizations received. The bill requires the Department of Public Health to adopt administrative rules to amend the certificate of death form for medical examiner cases for infants zero to age three to comply with the bill.
[2/18: 8-5, party-line]

SF 2209 – Medicaid Elder Waiver Cap removed

SF 2209 requires the Department of Human Services to eliminate the monthly budget maximum or cap for individuals eligible for the Medicaid home and community-based services elderly waiver. The department must track the average amount expended per waiver recipient each fiscal year beginning July 1, 2020, and report the information annually to the Governor and the Legislature by October 1.
[2/19: short form (Excused: Johnson]

SF 2230 – IDPH Breastfeeding Strategic Plan

SF 2230 requires the Department of Public Health (DPH) to convene stakeholders from various sectors to develop an actionable breastfeeding quality improvement strategic plan to determine the framework necessary to maximize breastfeeding support and improvements.
[2/18: short form]

SF 2255 – Free clinics electronic prescribing exemption

SF 2255 exempts free clinics from required electronic prescribing, including those prescriptions issued for a controlled substance.
[2/19: short form (Excused: Johnson)]

SF 2256 – Medicaid as third-party payer for primary care agreements

SF 2256 – Direct primary care agreements (concierge medicine) are authorized under Code chapter 135N. Such agreements are between a direct provider and a direct patient, or the direct patient’s representative, in which the direct provider agrees to provide primary care health services for a specified period of time to the direct patient for a direct service charge. Code chapter 135N authorizes a direct provider to accept payment of a direct service charge for a direct patient either directly or indirectly from a third party. Under the bill, a pilot program is established allowing the Medicaid program to act as the third-party payor for Medicaid members to use the agreements.
[2/19: short form (No: Mathis, Ragan, Bolkcom, Jochum, Quirmbach; Excused: Johnson)]

SSB 3058 – Definition of “young adult” for PALS program

SSB 3058 relates to the definition of “young adult” for purposes of participation in the preparation for adult living program (PALS). Those turning 18 that receive court-ordered care with a relative or another person with a significant relationship will be eligible for PALS. PALS assists young adults who are leaving foster care and other court-ordered services at 18 or older in making the transition to self-sufficiency.
[2/18: short form]

SSB 3117 – Non-medical switching interim study

SSB 3117 prohibits non-medical switching and prevents health plans from forcing a person to change medications for non-medical reasons during their covered plan year. An amendment was adopted that instead directs an interim study committee be convened to determine the best policy.
[2/19: short form (Excused: Johnson)]

SSB 3161 – Insurance coverage for Stage IV cancer treatment

SSB 3161 requires policies, contracts or plans providing for third-party payment or prepayment of health or medical expenses that provide coverage for prescription drugs to provide coverage for prescription cancer drugs. “Prescription cancer drug” is defined as a prescription drug that is used to treat Stage IV cancer. An amendment was adopted that allows step therapy.
[2/19: short form (Excused: Johnson)]

SSB 3162 – Insurance coverage for breast cancer diagnostics

SSB 3162 requires a policy, contract or plan providing for third-party payment or prepayment of health or medical expenses to provide coverage for diagnostic breast cancer examinations. “Diagnostic breast cancer examination” is defined as an examination of an abnormality, deemed medically necessary by a covered person’s health care professional, for the detection of breast cancer. The examination may be conducted using a diagnostic mammogram, breast magnetic resonance imaging, or breast ultrasound. “Abnormality,” “diagnostic mammogram,” “breast magnetic resonance imaging” and “breast ultrasound” are defined in the bill.
[2/19: short form (Excused: Johnson)]

SSB 3162 – Immunizations by pharmacists

SSB 3164 – Currently, pharmacists can only order and administer immunizations and vaccinations to patients 18 and above, except for flu (six months and above) and the final two courses of HPV (11 and older). This bill would lower the age for all vaccinations to age six and above. This would encompass HPV and Tdap, so the bill strikes those explicit references in the Code.
[2/19: short form (Excused: Johnson)]

SSB 3165 – Reunification of children during disasters

SSB 3165 requires the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to convene a task force to study the current status of unaccompanied children and dependent adults following a natural disaster, who are not under the supervision of a school or the Department of Human Services, to ascertain gaps, assess capacity concerns, identify resources, examine issues (including specific issues relating to the dangers a child or dependent adult may face) and reunification efforts by all agencies and organizations across the response community. The task force will develop specific policy recommendations relating to the reunification of an unaccompanied child or dependent adult with the child’s or dependent adult’s parent, guardian or custodian following a natural disaster. An amendment was adopted to change the term “natural disaster” to “disaster.”
[2/19: short form (Excused: Johnson)]

SSB 3179 – Health care background checks

SSB 3179 provides that in addition to background record checks being performed by the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Human Services, an entity may have a third-party vendor conduct a preliminary background check pending completion of the required record checks.
[2/18: short form]