Healthcare

SB 301 (as detailed in its bill text) corrects a discrepancy in its abstract: it does not add gender-neutral language but instead amends Kentucky law to establish a statewide prescreening system for long-term care admissions. The bill requires the Health and Family Services cabinet to implement a preadmission review system, including a resource means test (ensuring applicants have funds for 365 days of care), before authorizing placement in skilled-nursing or intermediate-care facilities. It mandates that facilities cannot admit patients without this screening, and non-compliant admissions would be a Class B violation. The law directly affects long-term care facilities, hospitals offering skilled-nursing beds, and Kentuckians seeking Medicaid-covered care in these settings. The bill was introduced in the Senate on February 27, 2026, and referred to committee.

HB 721 amends Kentucky law to require a statewide prescreening and admissions review system for long-term-care facilities and certain hospital-based skilled-nursing beds. It directly affects residents seeking admission to these facilities, requiring them to meet a resource means test (sufficient funds for 365 days of care) and obtain preauthorization from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services before admission. Key provisions include mandatory preadmission screening teams, determinations about care needs and alternatives, and penalties (a Class B violation) for facilities admitting patients without prior authorization. The bill aims to prevent inappropriate placements and control costs by ensuring residents meet financial criteria and receive proper review before admission.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 311 to define terms; prohibit health care providers from accepting payment or reimbursement for gender transition services from a state or local government or Medicare; prohibit use of state or local government funds for the provision or subsidy of gender transition services; require licensing or certifying agencies to revoke a health care provider's license for a violation; direct that intentional violation by a public servant shall be a violation of KRS 522.030; amend KRS 15.241 to authorize the Attorney General to seek injunctive relief and penalties for a violation of gender transition services prohibitions; amend KRS 156.496 to prohibit family resource or youth services centers from providing or making referrals for gender transition services; amend KRS 39A.180 to prohibit suspension of gender transition services laws during an emergency; create new sections of Subtitle 17A of KRS Chapter 304, and KRS 205.6481 to 205.6495, and amend KRS 205.5365, 18A.225, 164.2871, and 304.17C-125, to prohibit publicly funded health plans, Medicaid, the Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program (KCHIP), publicly funded limited health service benefit plans, the state employee health plan, and state postsecondary education institution self-insured health plans from providing payment or coverage for gender transition services; amend KRS 605.110 to direct that gender transition services are not authorized for a child committed to the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice; state findings of the General Assembly relating to the purpose of the Act; apply certain provisions to health plans issued or renewed on or after the effective date of Act.

Amend KRS 218A.100 to place an abortion-inducing drug in Schedule IV; amend KRS 218A.1413 to include an abortion-inducing drug in the offense of trafficking in a controlled substance in the second degree; amend KRS 218A.1415 to include an abortion-inducing drug in the offense of possession of a controlled substance in the first degree, except when in the possession of a pregnant woman for her own personal use; create a new section of KRS Chapter 218A to establish the offense of importing an abortion-inducing drug amend KRS 216.302 to include providing any drug, medication, or other substance as a means of assisting another person to commit or attempt to commit suicide; increase the penalty from a Class D felony to a Class B felony when the act is done knowingly by force or duress and from a Class C to a Class B felony when a person knowingly or intentionally provides the physical means or participates in a physical act by which another person commits or attempts suicide; create a new section of KRS 216.300 to 216.308 to establish the offense of medically assisted aid in dying as a Class B felony; amend KRS 216.308 to provide for the revocation of a license upon a criminal conviction or plea of guilty of assisted suicide or medically assisted aid in dying; create a new section of KRS Chapter 411 to provide a civil cause of action for any person who sustains damages resulting from receiving an abortion-inducing drug; create a new section of KRS Chapter 216B to require the distribution of specified information to any patient who a physician or other healthcare provider believes is experiencing a complication as a result of taking an abortion-inducing drug; require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to make specified information available on its website.

SB 283 amends Kentucky's Medicaid law to prohibit using state Medicaid funds for two specific medical treatments: cross-sex hormones prescribed primarily for gender dysphoria treatment, and gender reassignment surgery. This directly affects Medicaid recipients seeking these services and providers contracted with Kentucky's Department for Medicaid Services. The bill makes a technical correction to clarify existing prohibitions in KRS 205.5365, updating the statute to explicitly list these two treatments as non-covered services under Medicaid. It does not create new coverage restrictions but adjusts the legal language to match current policy.

Amend KRS 214.034 to delete hepatitis B from the list of required immunizations for children; prohibit additional immunizations from being required by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services without the approval of the General Assembly; delete requirement for hepatitis B immunization for sixth grade school attendance.

Amend KRS 205.5371 to require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to condition eligibility for enrollment or continued enrollment in the Medicaid program on demonstrated community engagement as required under federal law; require the cabinet to continue to condition eligibility on demonstrated community engagement if federal requirements are abolished, repealed, or otherwise diminished; amend KRS 205.6312 to require the cabinet and any contracted Medicaid managed care organization to impose cost-sharing requirements for Medicaid enrollees as required under federal law no later than January 1, 2027; establish minimum cost-sharing amounts; amend KRS 205.556 and 205.618 to conform; create new sections of KRS Chapter 205 to require the cabinet to, no later than July 1, 2026, begin conducting Medicaid eligibility redeterminations once every 6 months as required under federal law; require the cabinet to access and review certain data when conducting eligibility redeterminations; establish a process for identifying and, when appropriate, disenrolling individuals who are concurrently enrolled in the Kentucky Medicaid program and a Medicaid program administered by another state or states; amend KRS 205.178 to require the cabinet to receive and review information from the Kentucky Lottery Corporation, Department of Corrections, and the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation on at least a monthly basis, the Kentucky Department of Revenue on at least an annual basis, and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet on a quarterly basis; require the Department for Medicaid Services to enter into a data sharing agreement with the Social Security Administration to receive the full file of death information on at least a quarterly basis; prohibit the cabinet from seeking or requesting an exemption or waiver from federal community engagement requirements related to county unemployment rates unless specifically authorized by the General Assembly to do so; amend KRS 205.5375 to require hospitals to assist presumptively eligible individuals in submitting a full Medicaid application; amend KRS 205.200 to prohibit the cabinet from accepting self-attestation of income, residency, or age for the purpose of determining eligibility for Medicaid or compliance with community engagement requirements; create new sections of KRS Chapter 205 to establish Medicaid managed care organization contracting requirements and penalties; establish the Medicaid managed care organization compliance fund within the State Treasury; establish that amounts in the fund not appropriated at the close of a fiscal year shall not lapse and shall be carried forward; prohibit the expenditure of funds in the account unless expressly appropriated by the General Assembly; require the Department for Medicaid Services to submit recommendations for use of monies in the fund to the Legislative Research Commission by November 1, 2027, and November 1, of each following odd-numbered year; amend KRS 205.533 to require Medicaid managed care organizations to include certain information for providers on their websites; amend KRS 205.534 to require managed care organizations to allow providers 120 days to file an appeal or grievance related to a reduction of denial of a claim; establish penalties for a managed care organization's failure to ensure the timely disposition of any appeal or grievance; require payment of any amount owed to a provider following an appeal to be paid within 30 days; require payments made following an appeal to include interest and reasonable attorney's fees; establish standards and requirements for provider audits; require the inclusion of additional information in the monthly report filed by managed care organizations; require the Department for Medicaid Services to submit an annual report to the Legislative Research Commission related to Medicaid claims, appeals, and grievances; authorize the Department for Medicaid Services to promulgate administrative regulations; create new sections of KRS Chapter 205 to establish requirements for administration of the Medicaid-covered nonemergency medical transportation services; establish requirements for the administration of 1915(c) Medicaid waiver programs; require the Department for Medicaid Services to develop and implement a tiered priority system for assigning 1915(c) Medicaid waiver program slots by January 1, 2027; require administration of Medicaid-covered dental services by an administrative service organization; establish that the administrative service organization shall not assume any financial or insurance risk; limit compensation paid to the administrative service organization to no more than 2% of the actual Medicaid-covered dental service claims paid on an annual basis; require the Department for Medicaid Services to establish a Dental Program Advisory Panel; require the Department for Medicaid Services to employ a dental director; require the Department for Medicaid Services to submit an annual report on the Medicaid dental program to the Legislative Research Commission; create new sections of KRS 7A.270 to 7A.290 to establish legislative findings; require the cabinet to provide the Legislative Research Commission with access to all databases, datasets, electronic records, and files pertaining to any aspect of the Medicaid program determined by the director of the Legislative Research Commission to be necessary for the meaningful and effective discharge of the General Assembly's legislative duties; require the Legislative Research Commission, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Louisville to enter into a partnership to design and develop a web-based healthcare transparency dashboard; require the dashboard be overseen by a subcommittee of the Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board; require the dashboard be maintained and operated by the Legislative Research Commission; amend KRS 7A.283 to allow the appointment of individuals who are not members of the board to advisory committees or subcommittees upon approval of the Legislative Research Commission; create a new section of KRS Chapter 43 to require the Auditor of Public Accounts to conduct an examination of the state's Medicaid program and Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program; establish audit reporting requirements; require the Auditor to conduct a review of the Medicaid program and Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program to assess progress in addressing issues identified in previous examinations; establish that the Office of Program Performance in the Commonwealth Office of the Ombudsman shall conduct all quality control reviews of the Department for Community Based Services for the Medicaid program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families to comply with federal law and regulations; establish that no other state agency shall conduct these quality control reviews unless otherwise authorized by the General Assembly; amend KRS 7A.286 to establish that examinations conducted by the Auditor may constitute fulfillment of certain duties assigned to the Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board at the discretion of the Legislative Review Commission; repeal KRS 205.515 related to administration of the Medicaid program; repeal KRS 311A.172 related to nonemergency medical transportation services; appropriate $500,000 in General Fund moneys in fiscal year 2025-2026 for staffing and technology needs in the Office of the Auditor of Public Accounts; create a new section of KRS Chapter 6 to establish a Medicaid impact statement; require any legislation that makes or directs a change to the Medicaid program to be accompanied by a Medicaid impact statement; require certain factors to be analyzed and included in a Medicaid impact statement; require Medicaid impact statements to be completed by an economic consulting firm retained by the Legislative Research Commission; create a new section of KRS Chapter 13A to require the cabinet to provide a draft copy of certain administrative regulations related to the Medicaid program to the Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board for comment at least 30 days before filing the administrative regulation with the regulations compiler; direct the Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board to establish a Dental Services Transition Subcommittee; establish membership and duties of the Dental Services Subcommittee; require any contract between the Department for Medicaid Services and a Medicaid managed care organization entered into, renewed, or extended after the effective date of this Act to include notice to the managed care organization of the department's intent to transition to an administrative service organization delivery model for Medicaid-covered dental services; require the cabinet or the Department for Medicaid Services to seek federal approval if it is determined that such approval is necessary; provide authorization from the General Assembly to make changes in the Medicaid program as required under KRS 205.5372(1); direct the Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Board to evaluate the nonemergency medical transportation program and submit findings and recommendations to the Legislative Research Commission by December 31, 2026; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 367 to define terms; restrict the use of artificial intelligence by certain licensed professionals in therapy and psychotherapy services; prohibit licensed professionals from using artificial intelligence to assist in providing supplementary support in therapy or psychotherapy services where the client's therapeutic session is recorded; provide exceptions; prohibit advertising or offering therapy or psychotherapy services unless the therapy or psychotherapy services are conducted by a licensed professional; limit how a licensed professional may use artificial intelligence; require all records between a licensed professional and a patient to be confidential; grant enforcement authority to the relevant board; exclude religious counseling, peer support, and self-help materials; EMERGENCY.

Amend KRS 218A.025 to remove 1 physician and 1 nurse from the Controlled Substances Prescribing Council and to add 1 livestock veterinarian and 1 equine veterinarian.