Healthcare

died · Montana · House May 20, 2025

HB 689: Provide for pricing transparency requirements for hospitals

HB 689 aimed to increase pricing transparency for hospitals. It required hospitals to publish a comprehensive list of all their standard charges for medical items and services, including gross charges, negotiated rates with third-party payors, and discounted cash prices. This information was to be made available on hospital websites in both machine-readable and consumer-friendly formats. The bill also included provisions for reporting to state departments, prohibiting debt collection by non-compliant hospitals, and allowing for enforcement actions.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRequires hospitals to publish transparent pricing, improving patient access to cost information and aligning with consumer protection in healthcare services.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

Track

signed · Montana · House May 19, 2025

HB 76: Generally revise laws related to the board of behavioral health

HB 76 revises laws concerning the Board of Behavioral Health. The bill establishes certification and regulation for "family peer support specialists," individuals who use their personal experience to support parents and caregivers of children with significant physical, developmental, or behavioral health needs. It also adds family peer support to the list of practices regulated by the board and provides a specific licensure exemption for religious officials.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEstablishes certification for family peer support specialists in behavioral health, expanding regulated mental health services under board oversight.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Montana · House May 8, 2025

HB 56: Establish ambulance provider assessment fee program

HB 56 establishes an assessment fee program for ground ambulance providers licensed in the state. These providers will pay a uniform fee of 5.75% of their net operating revenues annually to the Department of Revenue. The revenues generated from this assessment are specifically designated to supplement Medicaid payments for ambulance services. The bill also outlines procedures for reporting, collection, auditing, and penalties for non-compliance.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates mandatory 5.75% fee on ambulance providers to generate revenue specifically designated for Medicaid ambulance payments, directly funding public healthcare services via new state revenue.92% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill establishes fee to fund ambulance services via Medicaid supplementation, directly supporting healthcare access and provider reimbursement.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Montana · House May 5, 2025

HB 447: Enact the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact

HB 447 enacts the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact, allowing licensed respiratory therapists to practice in multiple member states without needing a full license in each. This aims to increase public access to respiratory therapy services and improve workforce mobility, including for military members and their spouses. The compact establishes a "compact privilege" for therapists to practice in other member states while preserving each state's regulatory authority. It also includes provisions for criminal background checks for license applicants.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill explicitly increases public access to respiratory therapy services by enabling interstate practice, improving workforce mobility for therapists, and aligning with healthcare access indicators.92% confidence ✓ VeteransSupports VeteransBill explicitly includes military members and spouses in workforce mobility benefits, supporting veteran family employment through interstate practice privileges.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Montana · House May 5, 2025

HB 454: Revise visit frequency required of supervisory physical therapists

HB 454 revises the required frequency of patient visits by a licensed physical therapist when supervising a physical therapy assistant. This bill directly affects licensed physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, and the patients they serve. It changes the supervisory requirement, allowing a physical therapist to make an onsite or telehealth visit once for every eight visits made by an assistant, rather than six. Additionally, the time-based supervisory visit is extended from every two weeks to every 30 days, whichever occurs first.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareReduces mandatory supervision frequency for physical therapists, increasing efficiency and potentially improving patient access to services through streamlined care delivery.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Montana · House May 5, 2025

HB 473: Allow for automatic CMS medicare fee schedule updates

HB 473 grants the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) the authority to adopt Medicare fee schedules issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) through administrative rule. A key provision allows for the automatic incorporation of future updates to these federal fee schedules. This streamlines the process for DPHHS to align state reimbursement rates with federal Medicare standards. The bill affects the DPHHS's rulemaking procedures and indirectly impacts healthcare providers and beneficiaries whose services are reimbursed based on these schedules.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareAutomates Medicare fee schedule updates to align state reimbursements with federal standards, improving provider payment stability and patient access to care.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Montana · House May 5, 2025

HB 458: Generally revise laws related to physician assistants

HB 458 revises laws concerning physician assistants and medical malpractice claims. The bill expands the definition of "health care provider" to include physician assistants, affecting their liability in malpractice cases. It also increases the limit on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice claims, raising the initial cap from $250,000 to $300,000. This new limit will then progressively increase each year, reaching $500,000 by 2029 and adjusting annually by 2% thereafter. These changes apply to both future and existing medical malpractice claims.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands healthcare provider definition for PAs and increases malpractice damage caps, improving access and patient rights95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Montana · House May 5, 2025

HB 398: Generally revise insurance laws related to prior authorization of chronic conditions

HB 398 revises health insurance laws regarding utilization review, impacting patients and health insurance companies. The bill requires health plans to honor previously approved health care services for at least three months when a patient changes plans, ensuring continuity of care. It mandates that only licensed physicians, specializing in the relevant condition, can make or review decisions to deny or reduce health care services (adverse determinations). Additionally, it clarifies the definition of "adverse determination" and other related terms within insurance law.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRequires continuity of care for chronic conditions and mandates specialist review for denials, protecting patient access to approved treatments and reducing arbitrary insurance denials.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Montana · House May 5, 2025

HB 475: Regulate restraints on women while giving childbirth

House Bill 475 restricts the use of physical restraints on inmates known to be pregnant during labor and delivery. It generally prohibits restraints unless there are extraordinary circumstances, such as an individualized determination that the inmate is a flight risk or poses a clear threat to themselves or others. Even in these cases, leg or waist restraints are strictly prohibited. The bill also requires that any applied restraints be the least restrictive necessary and removed when the risk is mitigated or at the request of a healthcare professional.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRestricts physical restraints on pregnant inmates during childbirth, advancing humane corrections practices and protecting civil rights in custody.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRestricts unnecessary restraints on pregnant inmates during labor, protecting maternal health access and safety during childbirth, aligning with healthcare patient rights.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Montana · House May 5, 2025

HB 476: Establish grant program for newborn safety devices

HB 476 establishes a grant program to fund the installation and maintenance of newborn safety devices. The Department of Public Health and Human Services will award competitive grants, up to $20,000 per applicant, to eligible fire departments, hospitals, and law enforcement agencies. The department is also responsible for creating rules for the application process and evaluation criteria. The bill appropriates $160,000 from the general fund for this program, which is effective July 1, 2025, and terminates on June 30, 2027.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAppropriates $160,000 from general fund for newborn safety device grants, directly funding a public service program under budget authority.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareFunds newborn safety devices in hospitals via public health department, directly supporting infant healthcare services and public health programs.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare