AZPHA Positions on This Week’s Health & Human Services Committee Agendas

Next week will be another busy one for hearing public health related bills in the House and Senate Health Committees. We’ve been busy reading the bills that are up in committee next week and have made our decisions about what to support, oppose, be neutral on and the things to just leave alone for this week.

The two tables below list the full agenda of bills next week. The items in bold are the ones we’ve taken a position on. Between planning for the upcoming conference and trying to stay ahead of all the bills that are being proposed made for a super busy week for me!

Below the charts is a brief explanation of the bills we’ve taken a position on in the upcoming week.

House HHS Committee (Monday 1:30pm)

Bill   Name Sponsor AZPHA Position
HB2171 health care workforce council; fund Bliss No Position Yet
HB2279 behavioral health professionals; addiction counseling Gress No Position Yet
HB2323 DCS; specialty medical evaluations Payne No Position Yet
HB2424 licensed health aides Willoughby No Position Yet
HB2451 marijuana; advertising; restrictions Montenegro Yes
HB2452 marijuana funds; uses; enforcement Montenegro Neutral
HB2453 AHCCCS; naturopathic physicians Montenegro No Position Yet
HB2480 group homes; random drug screening Parker B No Position Yet
HB2494 nursing board; licensure; appropriation Bliss No Position Yet
HB2502 SNAP; mandatory employment; training Biasiucci No
HB2503 SNAP; waivers; exemptions Biasiucci No
HB2504 forced organ harvesting; insurance; prohibition Biasiucci No Position Yet
HB2520 community health centers; graduate education Peña Yes
HB2621 sovereign authority; border; health crisis Montenegro No Position Yet

Senate HHS Committee (Tuesday 1:30pm)

SB1036 social work compact Shope No Position Yet
SB1157 influenza response plan; updates; review Shamp No Position
SB1163 homeopathic medicine; integrated medicine; qualifications Shamp No Position Yet
SB1173 licensed professional counselors; compact Gowan No Position Yet
SB1209 hospitals; fentanyl testing Shope No Position Yet
SB1211 pharmacists; prescribing; naloxone; reporting Shope Yes
SB1212 vapor products; sales; directory Shope No
SB1233 chiropractic care; licensure; complaint investigations Shamp No Position Yet
SB1234 pharmacy board; virtual manufacturers Shamp No Position Yet
SB1235 maltreatment oversight committee; establishment Shamp No Position Yet
SB1238 obstetric services; rural communities; recommendations Shamp Yes
SB1250 AHCCCS; claims Shope Yes
SB1267 physical therapy assistants; students; supervision Shope No Position Yet
SB1269 dental hygienists; botox; continuing education Shope No Position Yet
SB1295 advanced practice registered nurses; compact Shamp No Position Yet
SB1309 mental health evaluations; information; consent. Miranda Yes
SB1311 mental health; oversight; data; documentation. Miranda Yes
SB1335 appropriation; older individuals; blind. Carroll No Position Yet
SB1361 sober living homes Carroll No Position Yet
SB1387 kinship foster care stipend; increase Alston No Position Yet
SB1388 temporary assistance; child only case Alston No Position Yet
SB1406 international medical licensees; provisional licensure Shamp No Position Yet

HB2451 support – This bill would add additional reasonable restrictions on how marijuana stores and dispensaries can advertise to ensure they aren’t targeting those folks under 21 years old. Needs supermajority.

HB2452 neutral – This bill explicitly allows ADHS to use excess marijuana funds to go to the attorney general’s office for enforcement, which is a good thing except the amount isn’t capped leading to a risk that community colleges could be shortchanged as a result.

HB2502 & 2503 oppose – These bills place unreasonable administrative restrictions on participants in the SNAP program as well as unnecessary administrative burdens on ADES.

HB2520 support – This bill would help community health centers to more efficiently stand up additional rural family medicine residencies.

SB1309 support – Ensures care coordination and gathering if history from family and natural supports. This is often not done, persons released and results in bad outcomes often hitting the news.

SB1311 support – Hopefully AHCCCS will inform connected state entities- licensing, DES etc. if they determine an agency is out of compliance. AHCCCS should facilitate quarterly meetings with state entities to review findings of established reports.

SB1211 support – Good bill that authorizes pharmacists to dispense naloxone (or any other opioid antagonist approved by the FDA) without a signed prescription and removes related reporting and rulemaking requirements.

SB1212 opposed. This one is being pushed by PM, Reynolds, Altria, and Juul as a barrier to entry for competitors (and increase their market share) which is actually kind of a who cares issue really. It also distracts from proven policies with proven public health benefits like SB1130 offers. If SB1212 some will suggest the bill is part of the youth tobacco problem when it really sin’t and use it as an excuse or reason to not pass SB1130. Also, FDA already maintains a list of all authorized e-cigarette products permitted to be on the market.

SB1238 support – Good bill that makes ADHS convene stakeholders to develop recommendations to ensure obstetrics and gynecology services are provided in low-volume, high-risk rural communities and report its recommendations.

SB1250 support – Prohibits AHCCCS contracted MCOs from denying a claim for payment because of the lack of prior authorization if AHCCCS has authorized the item or service. 

SB1309 support – Good bill that expands information that’s needed for court ordered behavioral health evaluations to include more information about the proposed patient. It also specifies which individuals may provide informed consent on behalf of a proposed patient for a voluntary evaluation.

SB1311 support – Makes it clear that AHCCCS is responsible for monitoring, overseeing and evaluating other state agencies that provide mental health services. It also makes good changes to the procedures for mental health prepetition screenings and court-ordered evaluations.

See the full list (60+) of AZPHA bill positions 

See 2024 Legislative Session Working Powerpoint working draft

Register Now: Hertel Report 2024 Winter State of the State

Join Arizona healthcare professionals at the 2024 Winter State of the State in Scottsdale to learn about the latest news on Arizona managed care from a panel of experts including the Publisher of The Hertel Report Jim Hammond. Enjoy breakfast and networking before a full morning conference featuring the latest news, data and trends relevant to our competitive and evolving healthcare landscape.

The conference includes The Hertel Report’s curated collection of the top healthcare stories, along with data, discussion and policy insight about Arizona’s busiest market segments:

  • Medicare Advantage
  • Marketplace
  • AHCCCS/Medicaid
  • Value-Based Care – ACOs, APMs

The Scottsdale conference includes everything you have come to expect from the State of the State, breakfast, a full conference program, data reference pages and a directory to support post-conference networking.

TOPICS & GUEST SPEAKERS

 

Moderated by Jim Hammond

Publisher of The Hertel Report

Medicare Enrollment

Paul Rose, Managing Partner
Western Asset Protection

Medicare Trends & Priorities
Dana Marie Kennedy, State Director
AARP – Arizona

Transforming Healthcare in Arizona
Jenn Barrett, VP of Behavioral Health Transformation
Arizona Council of Human Service Providers

Arizona Medicaid – AHCCCS Update
A representative from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) Office of the Director

CONFERENCE BASICS

What: 2024 Winter State of the State

When: Friday, February 16, 2024

  • 7am Networking & Breakfast
  • 8-10:30am Conference Program

Where: Orange Tree Resort, Scottsdale

Cost: $235 for AZPHA Members

 

REGISTRATION LINKS

Conference Information Link: https://www.thehertelreport.com/2024-winter-state-of-the-state-registration-is-open/

Registration Link: https://www.thehertelreport.com/product/2024-winter-state-of-the-state/

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