Georgia General Assembly Days 10-13
- Midyear Budget passes House
- Hearings move bills
- Fertility Preservation bill passes committee
- PA bill introduced
Last week. legislators worked in session Monday-Thursday, days 10-13. This week, they will be in session again Monday through Thursday. We are less than one month from crossover day, (March 6th) the final day for bills to pass from one chamber to the other in order to continue on their way.
Budget:
The House passed the Amended Budget last week. For a great overview of the budget see:
Moving Bills
- HB 94, providing for insurance coverage for the preservation of fertility when undergoing certain treatments, passed committee.
- HB 124: mandating coverage for PANS and PANDAs passed committee.
New Bills
PA Specific
HB 329: (Hilton) allows PAs and APRNs to administer or perform an artificial insemination only if such PA or APRN assistant has been delegated the authority to do so by a delegating physician or surgeon, such physician or surgeon is physically present at the location and time such artificial insemination is administered or performed, and such authority has been approved as an additional duty for such assistant by the Georgia Composite Medical Board.
Insurance
HB 231: (Neal) mandates certain coverages for complementary and alternative therapies (naturopath, herbalist, chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, etc)
HB 258: This bill instead of ‘expanding medicaid’ expands PeachCare (CHIP) to cover adults.
SB 91: (Tillery) prohibits DCH from contracting with a PBM that owns a retail pharmacy.
HB 263: Provides for Medicaid coverage for doula care for pregnant Medicaid recipients.
HB 323: provides that an individual may enroll in a Medicare supplement policy when such individual is currently enrolled in Medicare by reason of disability or end stage renal disease during a one-time open enrollment period of six months beginning on January 1, 2026.
HB 326 (Au) provides that the state health benefit plan shall cover qualifying nonopioid pain management drugs and such drugs shall be subject to the same annual deductible, coinsurance, copayment, exclusions, reductions, or other limitations as to coverage, or utilization review applicable to similar covered opioid pain management drugs.
HB 341: creates a tax credit for certain employers that offer individual coverage health reimbursement arrangements to employees.
Hospitals
HB 218: lowers the age (from 50 years to 18 years) at which hospitals shall offer inpatients certain vaccinations prior to discharge.
SB 80 adds rural freestanding Emergency departments to the rural hospital tax credit program.
Workforce
HB 219 and SB 113: creates a program for the monitoring and rehab of impaired nurses.
HB 251 (McDonald) allows CRNAs to order and administer anesthesia and an anesthesia plan in coordination with a physician.
HB291: creates a new occupation, a certified community health worker and a related oversight committee.
HB 298: requires hospitals to have a nurse staffing plan.
Health Generally
SB 72 (Brass) expands access for certain investigational treatments to patients with life threatening illnesses.
SB 95 (Watson) modifies the existing exemption to CON for certain skilled nursing components of life plan communities (CCRCs).
SB101 (Robertson) adds Duchenne muscular dystrophy to this newborn screening system.
SB111 (Albers) seeks to protect the privacy of consumer data.
HB 322: (Hawkins) creates a teaching or instructor license for dental hygienists from non accredited schools.
HB 334: requires the Department of Community Health to conduct an annual review of medications and treatment for sickle cell disease for Medicaid recipients