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 600: Authorize emergency use of albuterol in a school setting

HB 600 authorizes public and nonpublic schools to maintain a supply of "stock albuterol," a quick-relief asthma medication, for emergency use. This medication can be administered by a school nurse or other authorized school personnel to any individual, student or non-student, experiencing respiratory distress on school grounds or at school-related activities. Schools choosing to keep stock albuterol must develop a protocol for staff training, medication maintenance, and post-administration follow-up, including determining when to make a 9-1-1 emergency call. The bill requires a prescription for the stock albuterol, with the school designated as the patient.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareAuthorizes school access to emergency asthma medication, improving immediate healthcare access for respiratory distress in educational settings.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Montana · House May 5, 2025

HB 397: Revise laws related to privacy in mental health digital service

HB 397 establishes confidentiality standards for mental health digital services. It defines these services as mobile applications or websites that collect, use, or access information related to an individual's mental health or substance use disorder, market themselves as facilitating such services, and use the information for diagnosis, treatment, or management. The bill subjects these services to existing health care information disclosure and confidentiality provisions. It also provides for enforcement and remedies for individuals whose information is disclosed in violation of these standards.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEstablishes confidentiality standards for mental health digital services, protecting patient privacy under existing healthcare confidentiality laws, aligning with patient rights and mental health support.92% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyHB 397 extends existing health privacy laws to digital mental health services, enforcing confidentiality standards for data handling in technology platforms, thus protecting user privacy.92% 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 544: Generally revise health insurance laws relating to health utilization review

HB 544 revises health insurance laws, affecting health insurance issuers, covered individuals, and state employees/retirees. It prohibits health insurance issuers from retroactively denying coverage for services that received prior approval, with exceptions for fraud or misrepresentation. The bill also allows biologic therapies to be prescribed to minors under 18, even if FDA-approved only for adults, provided the treatment is medically necessary and supported by peer-reviewed medical literature. Furthermore, it amends provisions for state insurance contracts, detailing conditions under which certain state employees, retirees, and their families, as well as legislators and judges, can continue membership in state group health plans.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareProhibits retroactive coverage denials and expands access to biologic therapies for minors, protecting patient rights and improving access to care.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Montana · Senate May 5, 2025

SB 163: Generally revise privacy laws related to biometric, genetic, and neural data

SB 163 revises Montana's Genetic Information Privacy Act by expanding its scope to include neurotechnology data. The bill extends privacy protections to information concerning an individual's central or peripheral nervous system activity, such as brain data, collected by various devices. It adds new definitions for neurotechnology and neurotechnology data, and revises provisions related to privacy notices and exceptions. The intent is to safeguard consumers' sensitive neurotechnology data, particularly when collected by non-invasive devices outside of medical settings. This aims to provide similar privacy protections for neurotechnology data as currently exist for genetic data.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands privacy protections for neurotechnology data, directly safeguarding sensitive health information under healthcare privacy standards90% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyExpands privacy protections to neural data under Montana's Genetic Information Privacy Act, explicitly safeguarding sensitive neurotechnology data per bill intent.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

vetoed · Montana · House May 1, 2025

HB 607: Provide for the hearing aid coverage act

HB 607, known as the "Hearing Aid Coverage Act," proposes to expand health insurance coverage for hearing loss. The bill revises current law that mandates coverage only for children, extending this requirement to include individuals of all ages. It achieves this by amending sections 2-18-704 and 33-22-128 of the Montana Code Annotated, which govern mandatory provisions in insurance contracts. This change would require state insurance plans to cover treatment for hearing loss for both children and adults.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands mandatory hearing aid coverage from children to all ages, requiring state insurance plans to cover hearing loss treatment for all individuals.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

Track

signed · Montana · Senate Apr 18, 2025

SB 495: Eliminate the tobacco prevention advisory board

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.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesDefunds tobacco prevention and CHIP programs by removing advisory board from state special revenue accounts, directly eliminating funding streams.95% confidence ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareDissolves tobacco prevention advisory board, removing it from state funding lists for tobacco disease prevention programs, directly defunding public health initiatives.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Montana · House Apr 17, 2025

HB 399: Revise prior authorization laws

HB 399 revises prior authorization laws for health insurance issuers, aiming to simplify access to certain prescription drugs for covered individuals. The bill prohibits prior authorization for oral and inhaled generic prescription drugs, inhaled medications for asthma or chronic lung diseases, and insulin for diabetes patients. It also restricts prior authorization for generic drugs used consistently for six months and for dosage adjustments within approved limits. If an insurer makes an adverse determination for a prescription drug, the decision must be made by a specialist physician, and the insurer must provide a list of covered therapeutic alternatives.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill prohibits prior authorization for essential medications (insulin, asthma drugs, generics), directly improving patient access to prescribed treatments without unnecessary barriers.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare