IHPL develops informative policy briefs regarding bills before the State Legislature, many of which have gathered significant national attention. They review the specifics of pending bills, examining supporters and opponents, their rationale, and the bills' implication for Seventh-day Adventist health systems. The briefs are available for viewing below.
The Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) is California’s prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) introduced to track Schedule II-IV controlled substances. AB 528 aims to enhance the monitoring of controlled substances via the CURES database to further combat misuse, over-prescription, overuse, abuse, and diversion.
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In an effort to improve the mental wellness of women, California Legislature introduced AB 577 to increase the duration pregnant and postpartum women with a mental health illness receive coverage. AB 577 honors continuity of care, which is essential for the wellbeing of both the mother and the child.
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In response to the passage of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which essentially removed the individual mandate penalty, California Legislature took measures to reinstate the individual mandate penalty via Senate Bill (SB) 78.
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Currently, physicians are not required to provide complete information for why a medical exemption is being issued. SB 276 has been introduced to tackle this and other issues but has met with a great deal of pushback from parents and organizations.
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The federal government’s final rule, “Protecting Statutory Conscience Rights in Health Care; Delegations of Authority,” seeks to safeguard the moral and religious beliefs of medical institutions and workers.
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Two proposals in Congress will offer a Medicare-based public option in the health insurance marketplace to lower both premiums and health care costs by competing directly with private plans.
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Two Medicare-for-All proposals in Congress will expand Medicare to cover everyone, establishing a single national health insurance program and eliminating all private health insurance plans.
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California SB 201 proposes to ban medically unnecessary procedures on the sex characteristics of intersex minors until they can give informed consent.
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This new federal legislation would enable older adults and individuals with disabilities to access dental care under Medicare Part B.
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State and federal lawmakers are working to protect patients from unexpected medical bills. Currently, there is no federal legislation addressing the issue and only six states offer comprehensive protection against surprise medical bills.
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In this issue of 'Policy At A Glance', we provide a roundup of five health bills that garnered attention but were ultimately vetoed by the Governor in 2018.
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