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2018 Legislative Session Starts Tuesday
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The upcoming legislative session will convene on Tuesday, January 9. It is the second of a two-year session, so many pieces of legislation that were introduced last year but not enacted are still alive. New legislation has been pre-filed and healthcare-related bills can be found in the "Intros of Interest" section below.
The VC Summer Nuclear Plant failure is expected to dominate time during the upcoming year, and has already been the topic of numerous meetings in the off-session. Other big items we expect to consume a great deal of time are pension reform and the opioid crisis.
SCHA has identified several priority areas for the year, which include:
- Workforce Development
- Behavioral Health
- Healthcare Workplace Violence
- Access to Coverage and Care
- Scope of Practice
- Telemedicine
We look forward to another exciting year! If you know anyone interested in healthcare policy in South Carolina, please encourage them to sign up for The Pulse to get weekly updates on what is happening in healthcare at the State House. Anyone can register by clicking here.
For more information, please contact Krista Hinson at khinson@scha.org. |
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Behavioral Health Remains a Top Priority
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The opioid epidemic came roaring into the spotlight last year and several bills were enacted to chip away at the issue. The Speaker of the House, Jay Lucas (R-Darlington), convened the House Opioid Study Committee to look deeper at the issue and provide recommendations for further addressing the opioid crisis in South Carolina. The committee met throughout the year and last week approved their book of recommendations to be given to the Speaker. Recommendations vary greatly from community coordination to coverage and education.
The South Carolina Behavioral Health Coalition, of which SCHA is a founding member, has been actively involved in finding new ways to address the crisis and other substance abuse disorders. The group is comprised of key community stakeholders from throughout the state and is supportive of many of the House Opioid Study Committee's recommendations.
For more information on the South Carolina Behavioral Health Coalition, contact Elizabeth Harmon at eharmon@scha.org. |
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Intros of Interest
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- S.755 (Peeler) - Requires sheriffs to maintain at least one onsite drop-off box throughout the year that is available to the public for disposing of controlled substances - referred to Senate Medical Affairs
- S.762 (Timmons) - Authorizes the state of South Carolina to join the Emergency Medical Services Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact to allow EMS personnel to work across state lines - referred to Senate Medical Affairs
- S.840 (Talley) - Creates the Department of Early Development and Education and outlines which programs should be administered under such department - referred to Senate General Committee
- H.4432 (Arrington and Bennett): requires public schools to offer a half-unit course devoted to career and educational opportunities - referred to House Education and Public Works
- H.4435 (Collins): South Carolina DREAMers Act of 2018 to allow individuals authorized to be in the state by DACA to be eligible for professional licensure - referred to House Judiciary
- H.4439 (Pendarvis): Enacts the "South Carolina Promise Scholarship Act" to define how the Commission on Higher Education shall administer the scholarships and requirements for scholarship recipients - referred to House Education and Public Works
- H.4483 (Ballentine): Changes certain requirements for physicians selected to participate in the Student Loan Repayment Program of the Division of Aging - referred to House Education and Public Works
- H.4486 (Henderson): enacts the Emergency Medical Services Personnel Licensure Interstate Compact Act to allow EMS personnel to work more easily across state lines - referred to House 3M Committee
- H.4487 (Henderson): provides a process for DHEC to schedule certain substances on an emergency basis and changes certain requirements for practitioners to dispense narcotics and to nurse practitioners and physician assistants to prescribe schedule V drugs - referred to House 3M Committee
- H.4488 (Henderson): Authorizes coroners, deputy coroners, medical examiners, and deputy medical examiners to have access to data from the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program in certain circumstances - referred to House 3M Committee
- H.4489 (Henderson): Clarifies that kidney disease treatment centers are exempt from the Certificate of Need review requirements but are subject to licensing requirements - referred to House 3M Committee
- H.4490 (McKnight): Amends the Diabetes Initiative of South Carolina Board to require certain data disclosure from prescription drug manufacturers and require certain health insurance policies to cover the treatment of diabetes and prescription drugs used to treat diabetes - referred to House 3M Committee
- H.4491 (G.R. Smith): Prohibits SC DHHS from contracting with entities that perform or promote abortions with exceptions - referred to House Judiciary
- H.4492 (Spires): Changes dosage limitations for certain prescribed controlled substances - referred to House 3M Committee
- H.4493 (Toole): Amends the Good Samaritan Statute to require victims who receive emergency care to be tested for bloodborne diseases and to establish criminal penalties - referred to House Judiciary
- H.4494 (Williams): Enacts the "Health Enterprise Zone Act" to authorize the establishment of health enterprise zones in areas of the state based on health disparities and poor health outcomes and to provide certain tax credits and loan repayment assistance for practitioners in these zones - Referred to House Ways and Means
- H.4495 (Williams): Prohibits hospitals from charging uninsured patients fees in excess of the maximum fees charged to insured patients for the same services - referred to House 3M Committee
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January 5, 2018
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