HB 557 Louisiana House · 2026 Regular Session

INSURANCE/HEALTH: Provides relative to long-term care pharmacy

HB 557 defines "long-term care pharmacy" in Louisiana law for the first time. It specifies that such pharmacies must serve residents of facilities defined under the Older Americans Act and hold a specific national provider identifier code (3336L0003X) or its successor. This definition directly affects pharmacies operating in long-term care facilities across Louisiana, clarifying which pharmacies fall under this classification. The bill creates no new requirements or funding but establishes a clear legal standard for identifying these pharmacies in state regulations. (100 words)
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
May 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
May 2026
Introduced Feb 26, 2026 Signed May 29, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB557 Original HB557 Act 557 · 4 edits
MODERATE
This bill defines a 'long-term care pharmacy' for the first time in Louisiana law. The definition specifies that such a pharmacy must serve residents of long-term care facilities and hold a specific national provider identifier. The definition was updated to align with current federal standards by replacing a specific committee name with a broader reference to federal healthcare authorities.
Scope change
The bill establishes a new statutory definition for 'long-term care pharmacy' under Part VIII of Chapter 14 of Title 37 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes, which previously did not exist.
DEFINITION

Created a new legal definition for 'long-term care pharmacy' requiring service to long-term care facility residents and possession of a specific national provider identifier.

Updated the definition to replace a specific reference to the 'National Uniform Claim Committee' with a broader reference to 'federal healthcare authorities' to ensure the definition remains current as federal codes evolve.

Changed the capitalization of the term 'long-term care pharmacy' from title case to lowercase within the statutory text.

TECHNICAL

Removed the original legislative digest and formatting headers, replacing them with official signatures from the House, Senate, and Governor indicating the bill has been enacted into law.

Floor votes · Senate May 21, 2026 · House Mar 30, 2026

How they voted

340
Passed · 6 other
Total votes 40
May 21, 2026
D Democratic12
10 Yea 2
83% Yea
R Republican28
24 Yea 4
85% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
20
Key actions
4
Committee
5
May 21, 2026
Upper · Passed
Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 33 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
upper
May 14, 2026
Committee
Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
upper
May 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably.
upper
Mar 30, 2026
Lower · Passed
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 101, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
lower
Mar 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
Reported with amendments (9-0).
lower
Mar 9, 2026
Committee
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.
lower
Feb 26, 2026
Committee
Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Health and Welfare.
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Jason DeWitt
Jason DeWitt
RRepublican
LA
25