Healthcare

Amend KRS 194A.601 to require the dementia services coordinator to prepare an annual report on the operations of the Office of Dementia Services and the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Advisory Council and a progress report on the Kentucky Alzheimer's and Related Dementias State Plan to submit to the Legislative Research Commission; amend KRS 194A.603 to increase the membership of the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Advisory Council from 15 to 16 by increasing the individual unpaid caregiver members by 1; change the council's annual reporting date to December 1 from July 1; require the council to develop and implement annual year-long initiative advancing a key area of the state plan; direct the council to create a provider toolkit on early detection and diagnosis as its first year-long initiative beginning December 1, 2026 to be distributed to stakeholders.

Amend KRS 164.0401 to add a speech-language pathology or audiology license to the definition of "eligible healthcare credential" for the purpose of the Kentucky healthcare workforce investment fund.

Create a new section of Subtitle 1 of KRS Chapter 304 to limit the application of cost-sharing requirements that would result in a health insurance policy, certificate, plan, or contract losing its health savings account-qualified status under federal law; create a new section of KRS Chapter 18A to subject cost-sharing requirements in that chapter to applicability limitation; provide that applicability limitation applies to policies, certificates, plans, and contracts issued or renewed on or after the effective date of the Act; provide purpose of Section 1 of the Act; state the that Section 1 of the Act may be cited as the Health Savings Account State-Federal Regulatory Coordination Model Act.

Amend KRS 304.17A-132 to modify the definition of "hearing aid"; increase the coverage amount for hearing aids from $1,400 to $2,500; establish network adequacy requirements relating to the provision of hearing aids and related services that are required to be covered; amend KRS 18A.225 to increase the cap on hearing aids and hearing aid-related services under the state employee health plan from $1,400 to $2,500; direct that the Act applies to health benefit plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027; EFFECTIVE January 1, 2027.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 344 to ensure federal law relating to emergency medical treatment and the collection of evidence is not overridden; define terms; prohibit discrimination against health care professionals who decline to perform procedures that violate their conscience; grant health care professionals the right not to participate in services that violate their conscience; exempt health care professionals from liability for exercising these rights; prohibit hiring or licensing authorities from reprimanding health care professionals; require hiring or licensing authorities to provide complaints it has received to health care professionals; establish a civil cause of action for persons injured by violations; provide that the Act may be cited as the Health Care Heroes Recruitment and Retention Act; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 211.492 to define "advanced practice provider"; amend KRS 211.494 to allow Level IV verified trauma centers to utilize physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses who are supervised by physicians to cover emergency departments; require the Department for Public Health to promulgate administrative regulations to conform.