Weekly Legislative Update: March 5, 2023


MEDICINE DAY IS MARCH 21
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: 1:30p @ the Capitol (Room TBA)-Meet with Legislators
RECEPTION: HARN HOMESTEAD (just South of Capitol) 5p-7p
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!


The Legislative Session reached a major deadline as all bills had to pass in committee to be considered on the Floor. Those bills not receiving a committee hearing will be dormant for the balance of the year and will be taken off OSMA’s WEEKLY LEGISLATIVE UPDATE; however, language contained in those measure may still be offered as amendments to other legislation. The next key deadline is March 23rd when measures have to be considered on the Floor of their respective chambers.

The Oklahoma State Medical Association maintains a strong voice for the physician profession, but politics continues to affect your relationship with your patients. YOUR personal voice is the strongest, but you must be involved! Participate in Medicine Day on March 21! No registration required.


1:30p to 2:00 pm
Legislative Update and Briefing

Oklahoma State Capitol
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(Parking available in south and east parking lots)

2:00 to 5 pm
Meet with Your Legislators

Oklahoma State Capitol
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105

5 to 6:30 pm
Legislative Reception*

Harn Homestead (open-air venue)
1721 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105

*Live music provided by Rep. Jared Deck


WHEN RECEIVED, PLEASE RESPOND TO ALL OSMA ACTION CALLS! OUR AUTOMATED VOTER VOICE SYSTEM CONTACTS YOUR LEGISLATORS AND SHARES THE POSITION OF THE HOUSE OF MEDICINE. If you would like to confirm who your legislators are, please utilize this link: Find My Legislator

Please consider serving as DOCTOR OF THE DAY which provides an opportunity for you to be recognized on the House and Senate Floor and provide professional services if needed.

LEGISLATIVE ISSUES IMPORTANT TO OSMA

SCOPE OF PRACTICE

HB 1709 (Marti/Garvin) – Permits Advance Practice Registered Nurses to serve as primary care providers for up to 2,500 SoonerCare recipients, this number subject to change at the discretion of the CEO of the Health Care Authority. (Passed House; to Senate Committee) OSMA OPPOSES

SB458 (Stanley/McEntire) –
Allows certain qualified and certified nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, or certified nurse-midwives to apply to the Board of Nursing for Independent Prescribing Authority. (Passed Senate HHS with Title Off**; Passed Senate Floor with Title Off**) OSMA OPPOSES (OSMA, along with OOA, OAFP, and OSA met face-to-face with the bill author, the APRNs and Midwives three times to discuss the measure. Discussions remain at an impasse, and we anticipate the Bill Title remained OFF which allows further negotiation.)

SB931 (Garvin/Marti) –
Broadens the definition of practice of pharmacy to include testing, certain drug, hormonal, and nicotine replacement therapies, as well as treatment for minor, nonchronic health conditions – OSMA negotiating language: (Passed Senate HHS; to Senate Floor) OPPOSES LANGUAGE RE: NONCHRONIC CONDITIONS; OSMA SUPPORTS GREATER AVAILABILITY OF ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES

GENERAL GOVERNMENT

HB1890 (Schreiber) – Prohibits health care providers who are out of compliance with the Health Care Prices Act to pursue collection activities on any unpaid medical debt and allows patients to file related lawsuits. (Passed House Public Health Agenda; to House Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

HB2152 (Roe/Dossett) –
Adjusts the membership of the Maternal Mortality Review Committee to remove a home visiting program director and directs birthing centers report certain information related to maternal deaths. (Passed House; to Senate Committee) OSMA SUPPORTS

SB 303 (Daniels) –
Adjusts the structure and appointment process for the Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision to grant the Governor broad authority when choosing appointees and allows members to be removed and replaced without cause. There are several measures revising the appointment process for various health related licensure Board appointments. (Passed Senate HHS with Title Off**; to Senate Floor) OSMA OPPOSES

SB597 (Newhouse/Hasenbeck) –
Allows physician members of the Board of Medical Licensure to have obtained training from foreign medical schools and retired physicians to serve, confidentiality of disciplinary actions, adjusts other related qualifications. (Passed Senate; to House Committee) OSMA SUPPORTS


INSURANCE

HB1398 (Lepak/Jett) – Classifies certain insurer actions to either deter enrollees, or unjustly deny claims from emergency medical care as unfair methods of competition or deceptive acts of practice. (Passed House Insurance; to House Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

HB1712 (Marti/Garvin) – Prohibits health insurers from refusing coverage for medical equipment prescribed to individuals by healthcare providers and requires equal reimbursement for both in and out-of-network suppliers under certain conditions. (Passed House Public Health; to House Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

HB1843 (Kerbs/McCortney) – Places the responsibility for certain oversight of pharmacy benefit managers with the Attorney General rather than the Insurance Dept. (Passed House Insurance; to House Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

HB1963 (Newton/Jech) – Requires health benefit plans from certain insurers provide coverage of health care services provided through telemedicine when referred to out of state professionals by an in-state physician or practitioner. (Passed House Public Health; to House Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS AS AMENDED

SB143 (Hicks) – Requires high deductible health insurance plans to offer insureds the ability to set aside funds on a tax-free basis to pay for out-of-pocket diabetes expenses. (Passed Senate Retirement & Insurance; Passed Senate Finance; to Senate Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

SB254 (Garvin/Boatman) – Requires insurers to charge no more for out-of-network care than they would for in-network care in cases where the insured is unable to obtain covered services in a timely manner. (Passed Senate Retirement & Insurance; to Senate Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

SB442 (Montgomery/Sneed) – Requires health benefit plans to make available a directory of providers within their network plans. (Passed Senate Retirement & Insurance; to Senate Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

SB513 (Rosino/Miller) – Requires insurers, including the state's Medicaid program, to cover biomarker testing in certain instances. (Passed Senate HHS; Passed Senate Appropriations; to Senate Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

LEGAL REFORM

HB2154 (Roe/K. Thompson) – Extends certain protections against assault and battery against health care professionals to all health care facility personnel and directs health providers to share related data with the Dept. of Health. (Passed House Judiciary – Criminal; to House Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

SB707 (Rosino/Roe) – Requires medical examiners declining to conduct an autopsy of a deceased person to notify the person entitled to custody of the body in writing. (Passed Senate HHS; to Senate Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

MEDICAID


HB1650 (McEntire/Haste) – Provides that anesthesia will continue to be reimbursed equal to or greater than the HCA's current fee schedule and allows providers to enter into value-added based payment arrangements for Medicaid enrollees. (Passed House A&B – Health Subcommittee; Passed House A&B; to House Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

HB1657 (McEntire) – Requires the Health Care Authority to streamline the process for Medicaid provider enrollment and credentialing for any fee-for-service and managed care delivery systems. (Passed House General Government; to House Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

SB563 (Haste/McEntire) – Includes that anesthesia is to continue to be reimbursed equal to or greater than the established Fee Schedule, with value-based payment arrangements possible for services furnished to Medicaid members. (Passed Senate HHS; Passed Senate Floor; to House Committee) OSMA SUPPORTS

MENTAL HEALTH

HB1035 (Rosecrants) – Provides exemptions for school absence requirements to students missing class for mental health assessments and therapy sessions. (Passed House Common Education; to House Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

SB444 (Montgomery/Miller) – Requires health benefit plans that provide mental health or substance abuse disorder benefits to provide reimbursement for benefits that are delivered through certain collaborative care models. (Passed Senate Retirement & Insurance; Passed Senate A&B; to Senate Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

SB844 (R. Thompson/Miller) – Places supervisory authority over the County Community Safety Investment Fund within LOFT and permits counties to submit requests for money from the fund to support certain programs and projects related to mental health and substance abuse. (Passed Senate HHS; Passed Senate Appropriations; to Senate Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

PAIN MANAGEMENT/OPIOIDS

HB1987 (Dollens/Rader) – Clarifies that drug testing strips for the purposes of detecting fentanyl or related compounds are not considered drug paraphernalia. (Passed House Alcohol, Tobacco & Substances; to House Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

HB2424 (May/Stephens) – Allows pharmacies to dispense and sell a wider variety of opioid antagonists to counteract overdoses. (Passed Public Health; to House Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

SB386 (Rader/Echols) – Provides a tax credit for the purchase of naloxone to be used in retail and service establishments and adds certain legal Good Samaritan protections to the use of naloxone in life saving efforts. (Passed Senate Finance with Title Off**; Passed Senate Appropriations; to Senate Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

SB711 (Rosino/Boatman) – Directs the Dept. of Mental Health to provide hospitals with opioid antagonists to be given to persons presenting to emergency departments with the symptoms of an opioid overdose or related disorder upon discharge from the hospital. (Passed Senate HHS; Passed Senate Appropriations; to Senate Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

WOMEN & CHILDREN HEALTH

HB2014 (Ranson) – Provides Medicaid coverage for women up to twelve months after giving birth, adjusts the qualifying poverty rate and creates certain exemptions. (Passed House A&B – Health Subcommittee; Passed House A&B; to House Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

HB2177 (K. West/Bullard) – Prohibits any gender affirming care by health care professionals on anyone under 18 years of age, prohibits state money to be granted to facilities that perform such services, restricts private insurance reimbursement for such services. (Passed House Floor; to Senate Committee) OSMA OPPOSES*

SB292 (Stanley/Roe) – Requires testing for syphilis on women at various stages of pregnancy, as well as if there is a stillbirth or spontaneous miscarriage, such required testing to be covered by certain health benefit plans. (Passed Senate HHS; Passed Senate Appropriations with Title Off**; to Senate Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

SB368 (Garvin/Hasenbeck) – Establishes that laws pertaining to abortion will not be construed to prohibit or otherwise affect the provision of contraceptive care by authorized healthcare providers (Passed HHS; to Senate Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

SB382 (Garvin/Roe) – Provides for a sales tax exemption on sales of feminine hygiene products to federally tax-exempt organizations who provide and distribute such products. (Passed Senate Finance with Title Off**; Passed Senate Appropriations; to Senate Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS

HB834 (Daniels) – Provides certain exemption to the criminalization of abortion providers in cases of rape, incest, or the life of the mother is in danger (Passed Senate HHS; To Senate Floor) OSMA SUPPORTS*

*OSMA understands the moral implications of issues such as abortion and gender related medical treatment; however, OSMA has a long-standing policy to oppose measures which interfere with the patient/physician relationship.

**“Title Off” means the statutory reference is removed from the legislation in order to assure further negotiation.


MEDICINE DAY IS MARCH 21
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: 1:30p @ the Capitol (Room TBA)-Meet with Legislators
RECEPTION: HARN HOMESTEAD (just South of Capitol) 5p-7p
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!