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CT Senate Passes Sweeping Consumer Protection Bill The Connecticut Senate passed an expansive consumer protection bill ( SB 5 ). Among other things, the measure would require service providers such as...
Social Media Warning Label Legislation Catching on in States Although Congress hasn’t responded to former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s call last June to take up legislation requiring...
OR Lawmakers Pass Age Discrimination Bill Oregon’s legislature passed a bill ( HB 3187 ) that would prohibit an employer from requesting an applicant’s age, date of birth or date of graduation...
WI Assembly Passes Multiple Healthcare Bills Wisconsin’s Assembly passed multiple healthcare-related bills with broad bipartisan support. One ( AB 43 ) would allow pharmacists to prescribe birth...
A nightmare may be coming to life for social media companies in Minnesota. There, Democrats in the state Legislature have embraced a pioneering bill, SB 3197 , which seeks to levy the nation’s...
A new law (HB 1155) took effect last week in Washington that, among other things, makes it illegal to set up a geofence around a healthcare facility. Supporters of the Washington My Health My Data Act say the ban will protect individuals seeking abortions and transgender care. Connecticut, Nevada and New York have passed similar laws that haven’t taken effect yet. (PLURIBUS NEWS)
The U.S. House Ways and Means Committee and U.S. Senate Finance Committee both passed bills targeting the business practices of pharmacy benefit managers, which negotiate the prices of prescription drugs on behalf of insurers. All committees in Congress focusing on healthcare have now approved measures aimed at increasing oversight of PBMs. (MODERN HEALTHCARE)
The Biden administration proposed new requirements for health insurance companies to ensure that they cover mental healthcare at the same level as physical health, in accordance with a 2008 federal law aimed at achieving mental health parity. The administration’s proposed rule would require health insurers to analyze coverage outcomes to make sure there is parity in their provider networks, prior authorization rates and out-of-network provider payments. It would also designate when insurers could use prior authorization or other policies limiting access to mental health treatment. (POLITICO, AXIOS)
Two transgender patients of Vanderbilt University Medical Center are suing the hospital for violating their privacy by including their records along with those of over 100 other patients it turned over to Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti (R). Skrmetti’s office said the record transfer was associated with a “run of the mill” fraud investigation, and Vanderbilt said it had to comply with the AG’s request. But the patients allege the hospital knew Tennessee authorities were hostile toward the transgender community and should have removed personally identifying information from their records before giving them to the AG. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
—Compiled by SNCJ Managing Editor KOREY CLARK
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