SB 84 requires all health insurance plans sold in Louisiana to cover prostate cancer screening for men aged 40-49 (as medically appropriate) and men over 50, following National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines. It mandates that insurers cover these screenings without any out-of-pocket costs for enrollees, including deductibles, copays, or coinsurance. The law applies to new policies starting January 1, 2027, and existing policies must comply by January 1, 2028. This directly affects Louisiana health insurers and their policyholders by guaranteeing no-cost access to recommended prostate cancer screenings.
SB 113 establishes a backup mechanism for Louisiana's Local Healthcare Provider Participation Program in Calcasieu Parish. If the parish fails to authorize a local hospital assessment payment by June 1, 2026, municipalities within the parish with populations over 60,000 may independently authorize such assessments for healthcare providers operating within their city limits. The bill treats these municipalities as equivalent to parishes for compliance purposes, requiring them to meet the same program requirements. This procedural bill directly affects Calcasieu Parish and its larger municipalities, clarifying governance authority for healthcare funding.
SB 221 establishes that "treatment-in-place" services - where ambulance providers assess and treat patients at the scene of a 911 call without transporting them - must be covered under Louisiana's Medicaid program (medical assistance program). Ambulance providers (excluding air ambulance services) will be reimbursed at existing Medicaid fee schedule rates for these services, without requiring real-time video or audio communication with a doctor for reimbursement. The bill mandates that such services follow medical protocols and the provider's scope of practice, while the Louisiana Department of Health will create implementing rules. This directly affects Medicaid beneficiaries receiving non-transport emergency care and ambulance providers who serve them.
SB 253 prevents Louisiana's professional licensing boards from banning healthcare providers with prescriptive authority from prescribing peptides shipped from FDA-registered 503B facilities or FDA-registered compounding pharmacies. It directly affects doctors and other licensed prescribers who currently use such peptide sources. The bill requires providers to verify that prescribed peptides are not on the FDA's prohibited compounding list. This law aims to remove regulatory barriers for access to specific peptide treatments while ensuring compliance with federal FDA guidelines.
SB 314 allows certified social workers in Louisiana who have provided community psychiatric support and treatment (CPST) services for three years to extend their certification for that specific role. It applies to workers who meet all master's-level social work licensure requirements except for one specific provision (R.S. 37:2707(A)(3)), enabling them to petition for an extension to continue CPST work. The bill specifically includes a provision to renew certifications that expired in 2025, allowing affected workers to apply for the extension. This is a procedural change to certification rules, not a new service or funding measure.
HB 486 enacts Louisiana's participation in the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT), allowing psychologists licensed in Louisiana to provide telepsychology services (via video or phone) and temporary in-person care (up to 30 days per year) in other participating states without obtaining additional licenses. The bill establishes a $50 fee for Louisiana-licensed psychologists using the compact and requires states to share information on licensure and disciplinary actions to protect public safety. It defines key terms like "home state" (Louisiana for the psychologist) and "distant state" (the state where temporary care occurs), while ensuring the compact does not apply to permanent in-person practice. This aims to increase access to psychological services across state lines while maintaining regulatory oversight through shared information and commission oversight.
This bill asks the state legislative auditor to create a detailed report on how opioid settlement funds have been spent in Louisiana. The report will be sent to health and welfare committees by December 2026 and will cover how much money parishes and sheriff's offices received, what they spent it on, and any challenges they faced using the funds. It aims to provide transparency on the use of approximately $600 million in settlement money designated for opioid abatement efforts. The request for information includes specific details about expenditures, legal classifications for spending, performance outcomes, and administrative costs. This action does not change existing laws but seeks to gather data to help improve how local governments access and use these funds.
SB 26 repeals two Louisiana statutes (R.S. 40:2116(B)(5) and 2159) that required facility need reviews for opioid treatment programs. This bill directly affects opioid treatment facilities in Louisiana by removing a specific administrative review requirement. The key change is eliminating the need for these facilities to undergo a separate review process before operating, streamlining their regulatory compliance under state law.
SB 206 requires all Louisiana public school districts to conduct blood pressure screenings for students during the first semester or within 30 days of enrollment, following the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommended schedule. School boards must document results, follow up on abnormal readings within 60 days, and notify parents in writing if issues are found. This applies to public schools but exempts charter schools from the blood pressure screening requirement specifically (while they still follow other health screening rules). The bill aims to identify hypertension early in students through standardized school-based testing.
SB 310, the "Signs of Hope Act," requires all public high school and college/university student health centers in Louisiana to display specific signs about pregnancy resources. The signs must read "Pregnant? Help Is Available for You and Your Baby!" with a website link to Louisiana Department of Health pregnancy resources, measure at least 16x20 inches, use large readable text, and include color graphics. These signs must be placed in patient admission areas, waiting rooms, and consultation rooms by health center staff. The Louisiana Department of Health designs the signs but may accept donated signs or use donated funds to cover costs, without requiring state funds.
