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FLOOR ACTION:
SF 2345– Newborn screenings
SF 2345 codifies the Congenital and Inherited Disorders Advisory Committee (currently only in Rules). The bill sets out the membership and duties of the committee. Beginning July 1, 2022, the committee will ensure all conditions in the federal Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP) as of January 1, 2022, are included in the Iowa newborn screening. Within 12 months of a new condition by the RUSP, the committee will recommend to the Iowa Department of Public Health whether the condition should be added to the Iowa Newborn Screening Panel. If the committee recommends adding a condition, IDPH will add it to the panel within 18 months. Iowa currently screens for 32 of the 35 RUSP conditions. The bill directs the State Hygienic Laboratory to establish the newborn screening fee schedule in a manner sufficient to cover the costs. IDPH must report to the Legislature annually by December 31. The bill also changes the term “Newborn Metabolic screening” to “Newborn Screening.”
[3/8: 47-0 (Excused: Dickey, Hogg, Kinney)]
COMMITTEE ACTION:
HF 2202 – Department of Human Services Reports
HF 2202 eliminates the required quarterly report by the Department of Human Services (DHS) to the Legislative Fiscal Committee regarding savings realized and the costs paid through the Medicaid Preferred Drug List program. This information is gathered annually by Centers for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS) and is part of the National Health Expenditure Report. The CMS report will be posted on the Iowa Medicaid website. The bill also changes due dates for two annual reports that are prepared by DHS on the average amount expended per Medicaid waiver recipient for the Elderly Waiver and the Brain Injury waiver from October 1 to December 30 each year to allow all data to be available.
[3/7: short form]
HF 2297 – Regulation of Medicaid and Managed Care Organizations
HF 2297 provides that the Medicaid and Hawki, along with the Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), are administered by the Department of Human Services (DHS) and are not regulated by insurance regulation, unless otherwise provided by law. The bill clarifies when insurance mandates do or do not apply to the Medicaid program.
[3/7: short form]
HF 2246 – Psychologist Intern Provisional License
HF 2246 allows those enrolled in a PhD program in psychology at an institution approved by the Board of Psychology, who have not yet completed other requirements of licensure. to apply for a provisional license during the program’s internship. The license is designated as a “provisional license in psychology.” The provisional license holder can practice under supervision for two years. The Board will set the provisional license fee. The services provided by the provisional psychologist are eligible for reimbursement by Medicaid and other insurance carriers.
- Pre-doctoral internships are expensive for the host agency; they typically pay a $28,000-$32,000 annual stipend for interns, plus they must provide the direct supervision of a fully licensed and trained psychologist, as well as go through a process to become accredited by the American Psychological Association.
- Right now, internship sites cannot bill for the services provided by an intern, so they cannot get reimbursement. Lack of reimbursement makes it financially impractical to maintain an internship site.
- This bill would encourage the development of new internships. One is already in progress to serve the Central Iowa region around Ames that would immediately allow recruitment of 12-15 interns from outside the state to Iowa, in addition to keeping Iowa psychology students in the state.
- Iowa has a nearly 90% retention rate of our post-doctoral residencies, a similar retention rate by expanding to pre-doctoral internships is expected.
- This could have a very significant impact on access to mental health services, and in growing the mental health workforce with no monetary impact to the state.
[3/7: short form]