Healthcare

SB 218 establishes a private right of action, allowing minors, their legal guardians, or estates to file civil lawsuits against healthcare professionals and physicians. These lawsuits can be brought for injuries caused by specific medical interventions, including certain surgeries, hormone therapies, and puberty blockers, when provided to minors to treat gender dysphoria. Liability may arise if the injury is proximately caused by a deviation from the applicable medical standard of care. The bill sets a statute of limitations for these actions and clarifies that it does not apply to treatments for medically verifiable disorders of sex development or complications from prior medical treatments.

HB 687 revises the age range for expanded Medicaid participants who are required to engage in community engagement activities. Previously, participants aged 19 to 55 were subject to this requirement. This bill extends that upper age limit, now requiring individuals from 19 to 62 years old to participate. Affected participants must complete 80 hours per month in activities such as employment, education, work training, or community service, unless they qualify for an exemption. This change directly impacts expanded Medicaid recipients between the ages of 56 and 62.

Senate Bill 495 eliminates the Tobacco Prevention Advisory Board. The bill repeals the specific section of law that established this board. It also amends existing statute to remove the board from the list of entities funded by state special revenue accounts, which are primarily used for tobacco disease prevention programs and the Children's Health Insurance Program. The direct effect is the dissolution of the advisory board, which previously provided guidance for these programs.

HB 41 adds gabapentin to Montana's Schedule V list of controlled substances under the "depressants" category. This change directly affects medical providers who prescribe gabapentin (used for nerve pain, seizures, and other conditions), pharmacists who dispense it, and patients using the medication. The bill amends Montana Code § 50-32-232 to explicitly include gabapentin - identified by its chemical name "1-(aminomethyl)cyclohexaneacetic acid" - in Schedule V depressants alongside drugs like pregabalin. This policy update standardizes gabapentin's regulatory classification without altering its medical use or prescribing rules.