March 27, 2019 Tomorrow, March 28, is the last working day of the 2019 Kentucky General Assembly, and two bills pertaining to tobacco use may receive votes that could send them to the finish line. House Bill 11, sponsored by Rep. Kim Moser, which would prohibit use of...

March 19, 2019 House Bill 429, sponsored by Rep. Chad McCoy, would require plaintiffs in medical malpractice actions to file a certificate of merit simultaneously with the complaint. The certificate would declare that the plaintiff has consulted with at least one (1)...

March 19, 2019 Senate Bill 30, sponsored by Sen. Ralph Alvarado, also passed favorably from both chambers and awaits signature by the Governor. The bill would require health benefit plans to cover any genetic tests for cancer risk that are recommended by certain providers...

March 19, 2019  Successfully defeated this session was Senate Bill 132, which would have expanded the prescriptive authority of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs). The bill ultimately died in the Senate Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations...

March 19, 2019 All legislation pertaining to the legalization of medical cannabis was defeated during this session. However, KMA expects this item to be revisited in 2020 and will continue advocating for further research prior to the enactment of any cannabis legislation...

March 19, 2019 Likewise, House Bill 225, also sponsored by Rep. Kim Moser, will not be advancing this session. HB225 was designed to regulate advertising for legal services and protect patients from drug-injury advertisements on television, radio and social media....

February 26, 2019 Senate Bill 84, sponsored by Sen. Tom Buford, pertains to midwifery and the delivery of babies in out-of-hospital settings. It passed the Senate last week by a vote of 32-4. This legislation is being promoted by the Kentucky Home Birth Coalition, an...

March 19, 2019 Senate Bill 22, also sponsored by Sen. Ralph Alvarado, passed favorably from both chambers and awaits signature by Gov. Bevin. Due to KMA advocacy, the final language does not contain the unfriendly amendments KMA opposed that were attached at one point by...

March 19, 2019 House Bill 121, sponsored by Rep. Kim Moser, would have increased access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) as well as prohibited commercial insurers, the Department of Medicaid Services, and Medicaid MCOs from setting requirements or using certain...

March 27, 2019 Yesterday Gov. Matt Bevin officially signed Senate Bill 54, addressing a number of prior authorization issues, into law. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Ralph Alvarado, was a KMA priority this session and is a win for Kentucky patients and physicians. KMA would...

January 15, 2019 Insurance companies are increasingly narrowing their physician networks by offering physicians reimbursement contracts that are not financially sustainable. As a result, more physicians are being forced out of network and issues regarding patients'...

March 5, 2019 House Bill 429, sponsored by Rep. Chad McCoy, would require medical malpractice plaintiffs to include with their lawsuit a certificate of merit declaring that they have consulted with a qualified expert and, based on the expert’s review, there is a...