IA Enacts Law Addressing Shortage of Birth Centers Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed a bill ( HF 887 ) exempting freestanding birth centers from having to obtain a certificate of need from the state’s Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing to...
WA Enacts Law Keeping Medical Debt Off Credit Reports Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) signed a bill ( SB 5480 ) prohibiting collection agencies from reporting unpaid medical debt to credit agencies. The measure, which takes effect on July 27, is similar to a...
State Lawmakers Target PSAOs After targeting pharmacy benefit managers for years for contributing to the high cost of prescription drugs, state lawmakers have begun setting their sights on pharmacy services administrative organizations, or PSAOs, which help independent...
AR Lawmakers Pass Bill Banning PBMs from Running Pharmacies The Arkansas legislature passed a bill ( HB 1150 ) that would make the state the first in the nation to prohibit pharmacy benefit managers from operating retail pharmacies. A spokesman for Gov. Sarah...
MT Targets Insurers’ Use of AI Montana’s House Committee on Business and Labor held a public hearing last week on a bill ( HB 556 ) that would regulate the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare utilization review and management. Among other...
CA Bill Focuses on Mental Health of Wildfire Victims A bill ( AB 1032 ) introduced in the California Assembly would require healthcare service plans and insurers to reimburse enrollees or insureds who live in a county where a state or local emergency has been...
AR Lawmakers Considering Aggressive PBM Regulation A bill ( HB 1150 ) under consideration in the Arkansas House may be the most aggressive effort to regulate pharmacy benefit mangers yet. The measure would bar PBMs from owning pharmacies, potentially forcing...
More PBM Regulation Under Consideration in IA After passing pharmacy benefit manager regulations last year, Iowa lawmakers are considering a pair of bills ( HSB 99 and SSB 1074 ) that would require all prescription drug contracts to use a pass-through pricing...
Lawsuit Accuses GoodRX, PBMs of Price-Fixing A proposed class action lawsuit filed in federal court in California alleges online prescription drug price comparison platform GoodRx and several pharmacy benefit managers, including CVS Caremark and Express Scripts...
AR Looks to Bar PBMs from Owning Pharmacies Arkansas Rep. Jeremiah Moore (R) has introduced a bill ( HB 1150 ) that would prohibit pharmacy benefit managers from owning pharmacies. Moore said the noncompetitive practice raises drug prices. ( ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT...
New MA Law Increases Oversight of Private Equity Investment in Healthcare Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) signed a bill ( HB 5159 ) expanding oversight of private equity investment in the healthcare sector. The law is the first in the nation to ban “sale...
Telemedicine Still ‘Critical Focus’ for State Lawmakers: This year states passed at least 176 bills that adjust existing laws to accommodate the higher demand for telehealth services since the Covid-19 pandemic. That total roughly equals the 171 bills...
Nursing Home Industry Pushing for Repeal of Nurse Staffing Mandate With President-elect Donald Trump returning to the White House next year, the nursing home industry has been ramping up its efforts to kill the Biden administration’s new nurse staffing...
Federal Regulators Move to Block UnitedHealth Acquisition of Amedisys The U.S. Department of Justice and Democratic attorneys general of Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and New York filed an antitrust lawsuit aimed at blocking UnitedHealth Group from acquiring...
Big Changes Ahead for Obamacare? During his campaign President-elect Donald J. Trump said he had the “concepts of a plan” to replace the Affordable Care Act, which he attempted to kill in his first term. But with Republicans likely to control both...