Below is a list of bills we’re currently watching during this legislative session
For a list of all bills, please click here
HB 58 - AN ACT relating to chronic pain treatments.
HB 58 – Create a new section of Subtitle 17A of KRS Chapter 304 to establish that any health benefit plan issued or renewed in the Commonwealth that provides coverage for hospital, medical, or surgical expenses shall include coverage for chronic pain treatments provided by a licensed professional; create a new section of KRS Chapter 205 to require Medicaid and Medicaid managed care organizations to include coverage for chronic pain treatments provided by a licensed professional; amend KRS 218A.172 to require that a health care practitioner discuss and refer or prescribe alternative chronic pain treatments before initially prescribing or dispensing a controlled substance; EFFECTIVE January 1, 2023.
Full text here:
HB 25 - AN ACT relating to actions in response to the SARS-COV-2 virus and declaring an emergency.
HB 25 – Provide up to 10 days of remote instruction per school for school districts to use at the school, classroom, grade, or group level for the 2021-2022 school year; temporarily revise retirement reemployment provisions until June 30, 2022; EMERGENCY.
Full text here:
HB 188 - AN ACT relating to telehealth.
HB 188 – Amend KRS 211.336 to bar professional licensure boards from prohibiting the delivery of telehealth services to residents of Kentucky who are temporarily located outside of Kentucky by health service providers credentialed in Kentucky; bar professional licensure boards from prohibiting the delivery of telehealth services to nonresidents of Kentucky who are temporarily located in Kentucky by health service providers credentialed in the person’s state of residence; and bar health care providers from being required to be physically present in their credentialing state to provide telehealth services to a person who is a resident of the same state.
Full text here:
HB 198 - AN ACT relating to vaccination exemption and declaring an emergency.
HB 198 – Create new sections of KRS Chapter 337 to define “COVID-19,” “medical practitioner,” and “retaliate against”; require employers to permit employees to opt out of a COVID-19 vaccination policy based on categories of individual exemptions; create exemption eligibility requirements; create a civil cause of action; EMERGENCY.
Full text here:
HB 175 - AN ACT relating to massage therapy.
HB 175 – Amend KRS 309.355 to authorize the board to require a national and state criminal background check of any applicant of licensure to practice massage therapy.
Full text here:
HB 28 - AN ACT relating to immunization disclosure.
HB 28 – Create a new section in KRS Chapter 336 to prohibit public entity employers from requiring employees and applicants from disclosing his or her immunization status; create a new section in KRS Chapter 164 to prohibit postsecondary schools from requiring a student, staff, or faculty member to disclose his or her immunization status; amend KRS 344.120 to include the discrimination on the basis of “immunization status” as an unlawful practice; create a new section in KRS Chapter 365 to prohibit a business from requiring customers to disclose his or her immunization status as a condition for service or entry upon the premises; create a new KRS Chapter 214 to prohibit a public entity from creating standardized documentation with the purpose of certifying vaccination status; amend KRS 214.036 to allow objection to immunization on the basis of “conscientiously held beliefs”.
Full text here:
SJR 150 - A JOINT RESOLUTION terminating the declaration of emergency regarding the SARS-COV-2 virus and declaring an emergency.
SJR 150 – Terminate the declaration of emergency regarding the SARS-COV-2 virus in 2020 Executive Order 2020-215 and all subsequent actions directives based upon the declaration of emergency in 2020 Executive Order 2020-215; EMERGENCY.
Full text here:
SB 45 - AN ACT relating to the Medicaid program.
SB 45 – Create a new section of KRS Chapter 205 to limit the number of managed care organization contracts to operate the Medicaid program to three; EFFECTIVE January 1, 2023.
Full text here:
HB 343 - AN ACT relating to exemptions from prior authorization requirements.
HB 343 – Create new sections of KRS 304.17A-600 to KRS 304.17A-633 to establish eligibility criteria and requirements relating to prior authorization exemptions; establish requirements for rescinding prior authorization exemptions; set forth requirements relating to external reviews of prior authorization exemption determinations and denials; prohibit the retrospective denial, reduction in payment, and review of health care services for which a health care provider has a prior authorization exemption and establish exceptions; provide that nothing shall be construed to authorize a health care provider to act outside the provider’s scope of practice or require an insurer or private review agent to pay for a health care service performed in violation of law; amend KRS 304.17A-600 to conform; amend KRS 304.17A-605 to establish applicability of provisions relating to prior authorization exemptions to certain insurers and private review agents; amend KRS 304.17A-621 to conform; amend KRS 304.17A-627 to prohibit conflicts of interest with independent review entities and reviewers of prior authorization exemption determinations and denials; require independent review entities and reviewers of prior authorization exemption determinations and denials to submit an annual report to the Department of Insurance; amend KRS 304.17A-633 to require the commissioner of the Department of Insurance to report on external reviews of prior authorization exemptions determinations and denials; amend KRS 205.536 to require the Department for Medicaid Services, or managed care organizations contracted to provide Medicaid benefits, to comply with the sections on prior authorization exemptions; apply the provisions to contracts delivered, entered, renewed, extended, or amended on or after the effective date of the Act; require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to seek approval if they determine that such approval is necessary; EFFECTIVE, in part, January 1, 2023.
Full text here: