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3/19/2024
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Media Advisory: Senate Health and Human Services Committee to hear bills in Senate HEALTH initiative
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STATE HOUSE – The Senate Health and Human Services Committee is scheduled to meet today and Thursday for hearings on numerous bills in the Senate leadership’s 25-bill legislative package aimed at improving health care access and affordability in Rhode Island.
The Rhode Island HEALTH Initiative (Holistic Enhancement and Access Legislation for Total Health) focuses on four key pillars: consumer protection, provider availability and care quality, cost containment and health system financial stability.
Today, Tuesday, March 19, at the rise of the Senate session (sometime after 4:45 p.m.). in Room 211 on the second floor of the State House, the committee is scheduled to meet and hold hearings on the following bills, among others:
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2024-S 2078 — Sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz (R-Dist. 23, North Smithfield, Burrillville, Glocester), this legislation would codify Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rules that require hospitals to publish pricing information in two formats: a consumer-friendly list of 300 “shoppable services,” and a comprehensive machine-readable file for all items and services. Placing this sunshine requirement into statute will help people understand and reduce costs.
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2024-S 2714 — Sponsored by Sen. Pamela J. Lauria (D-Dist. 32, Barrington, Bristol, East Providence), this bill would require all hospitals to screen uninsured patients for Medicaid, Medicare, and other financial assistance programs. It would require hospitals to hold all invoices/claims until 30 days after discharge for the purposes of application review and determination. It additionally establishes a complaint process at the Executive Office of Health and Human Services for complaints and violations. The Attorney General is empowered to bring legal action against the hospital and can permit a corrective action plan in lieu of legal action.
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2024-S 2719 — This bill sponsored by Sen. Alana M. DiMario (D-Dist. 36, Narragansett, North Kingstown, New Shoreham) would create a drug affordability commission to receive and review manufacturers’ submissions. The commission would determine whether the cost of a drug under review is affordable. If the commission finds that the cost in Rhode Island is not affordable to state health care systems and state residents, it is authorized to establish a cost or payment rate for the drug to which all state programs, local governments, state-licensed commercial health plans (including state marketplace plans), state-licensed pharmacies, wholesalers and distributors must abide. These “covered entities” would be prohibited from paying more for the drugs than the commission established rate, with enforcement by the Attorney General.
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2024-S 2720 — This bill sponsored by Sen. Robert Britto (D-Dist. 22, Smithfield, North Providence, Lincoln) would ensure that cost savings from pharmaceutical coupons are provided to the consumer, not the insurer, pharmacy benefit (PBM) manager, or some other party.
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2024-S 2721 — Sponsored by Health and Human Services Committee Chairman Joshua Miller (D-Dist. 28, Cranston, Providence), this legislation would require a separate NPI (National Provider Identifier) for off-site procedures instead of using a hospital’s NPI. This would prevent hospital systems from charging the more expensive hospitals rate for services rendered at offsite locations, such as primary care offices. Unique, separate, and distinct codes would have to be obtained for the main campus, each off-campus location, and each provider type when the hospital delivers medical care, services, or goods at either the hospital’s main campus or an off-campus location.
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2024-S 2722 — This bill sponsored by Sen. V. Susan Sosnowski (D-Dist. 37, South Kingstown) would shift the Office Health Insurance Commissioner’s (OHIC) mandate to a dual mandate focused on both premiums and provider rates.
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2024-S 2723 — Sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Ryan W. Pearson (D-Dist. 19, Cumberland, Lincoln), this bill would require OHIC to conduct a rate review of primary care rates in the state.
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2024-S 2725 — This bill sponsored by Sen. Bridget G. Valverde (D-Dist. 35, North Kingstown, East Greenwich, South Kingstown) protects Rhode Island’s most vulnerable residents’ access to health care by protecting Rhode Island 340B providers from discriminatory practices used by pharmacy benefit managers, insurance companies and drug manufacturers.
The committee meets again Thursday, March 21, at the rise of the Senate session (sometime after 4:30 p.m.) in the Senate Lounge on the second floor of the State House, when it will hold hearings on the following bills, among others:
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2024-S 2083 — Sponsored by Senate Majority Whip Valarie J. Lawson (D-Dist. 14, East Providence), this legislation would allow for a nurse to be exempt from certain licensing requirements to practice before taking and receiving results from the NCLEX, the licensing examine developed by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
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2024-S 2179 — Sponsored by Senator Lauria, this bill would allow for registered out-of-state health care practitioners to provide telehealth services to patients, as long as the work is consistent with the provider’s scope and standards.
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2024-S 2718 — Sponsored by Sen. Matthew L. LaMountain (D-Dist. 31, Warwick, Cranston), this act would streamline physical therapy licensing.
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2024-S 2724 — Sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore Hanna M. Gallo (D-Dis.t 27, Cranston, West Warwick), this legislation would require carriers offering dental coverage to annually submit information that includes current and projected medical loss ratio (MLR) for claims. The MLR would be 85% for determining whether insureds are due a refund or premium credit. The percentage is the same for health MLR and within the same range of neighboring states.
Both meetings will be televised on Capitol Television, which can be seen on Cox channel 61, on i3Broadband channel 15 and on Verizon channel 34. They will be live streamed at capitoltvri.cablecast.tv.
Testimony will be accepted in person or in writing. Written testimony must be submitted prior to 3 p.m. the day of the applicable meeting in order for it to be provided to the members of the committee at the hearing and to be included in the meeting records. It may be emailed to SLegislation@rilegislature.gov.
For more information, contact:
Greg Pare, Director of Communications for the Senate
State House Room 112
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 276-5558
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