February 25, 2020 House Bill 1, sponsored by Rep. David Meade, passed out of committee on Thursday and the full House on Friday following hours of debate. Provisions in the bill include a requirement for the use of a single electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card, with a...

February 11, 2020 Rep. Kim Moser also filed House Bill 389 last week, which would prohibit the use of utilization review for certain FDA-approved substance abuse treatment medications. Passage of House Bill 389 would end health insurance company practices, such as “prior...

February 11, 2020 Kentuckians are facing rising out-of-pocket costs for the care and medicines they need. One way patients—particularly those with chronic, complex conditions—afford their medicines is through co-pay assistance programs, where financial assistance is...

February 25, 2020 House Bill 12, sponsored by Rep. Danny Bentley, would cap the cost sharing requirements for prescription insulin at $100 per 30-day supply. This KMA priority passed the full House last week by a vote of 92-0. It now moves to the Senate for...

February 25, 2020 House Bill 136, sponsored by Rep. Jason Nemes, was passed by the full House last week following a lengthy discussion. HB136 would create regulatory guidelines for patients to obtain medical cannabis from dispensaries with a recommendation from a physician...

February 18, 2020 Sen. Ralph Alvarado’s Senate Bill 150, which would regulate out-of-network or “surprise” billing, passed favorably from the Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Feb. 12. As reported in last week’s Legislative Alert, much discussion has occurred on this...

February 18, 2020 House Bill 32, sponsored by Rep. Jerry Miller, passed the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee on Feb. 11 by a vote of 21-1. HB32 would add vaping products to the list of smokable tobacco products and tax such products at 25 percent of the wholesale...

House Bill 286, sponsored by Rep. Russell Webber, would expand the prescriptive authority of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs). The Commonwealth of Kentucky continues to grapple with the overwhelming effects of an opiate-related epidemic. KMA is concerned that a...

February 25, 2020 Senate Bill 50, as originally drafted, would have moved the pharmacy benefit from the managed care organizations to an in-house operation within Medicaid. Prior to moving to managed care in 2012, the pharmacy benefit was within the scope of Medicaid...

February 4, 2020 Last week, Rep. Savannah Maddox filed House Bill 321, which would limit physicians regarding how they treat gender dysphoria. Specifically, medical professionals would be prohibited from performing surgeries or prescribing medications to a minor with the...

January 28, 2020 House Bill 153, sponsored by Rep. Kim Moser, passed the House by a vote of 93-0 on Thursday and moves to the Senate for consideration. HB153 would develop a statewide Mental Health First Aid Training Program  that offers the public, including...