Healthcare

died · Montana · Senate May 23, 2025

SB 216: Creating the Montana physicians' workforce investment act

SB 216 creates Montana's Physicians' Workforce Investment Act, establishing a task force to administer grants for health sector facilities (like hospitals) to launch or expand residency and fellowship programs. The grant program provides up to $2 million per facility to support new graduate medical education programs, requiring applicants to submit accreditation plans, 2-year financial projections, and 5-year sustainability strategies. This directly affects Montana hospitals seeking to train medical graduates (those with medical degrees but without residency completion) and aims to address physician shortages by increasing training opportunities. The task force must report annually on grant usage, program locations, specialty fields, and accreditation status to the legislature.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareFunds $2M grants for hospitals to expand medical residency programs, directly strengthening physician workforce development and healthcare access in Montana.95% confidence

Track

died · Montana · House May 20, 2025

HB 565: Require health insurance companies doing business in Montana to cover IVF treatment

House Bill 565, also known as the "Building Families Act," would have required certain health insurance policies in Montana to cover the diagnosis and treatment of infertility, including in vitro fertilization (IVF). This mandate would have applied to small group, large group, and individual health insurance policies issued or renewed in the state. The bill defined infertility based on factors like age and time trying to conceive, or a physician's findings. It set a lifetime coverage minimum of at least $40,000 for fertilization services and aimed to ensure fertility coverage was not subject to different limitations than other medical benefits.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareHB 565 mandates insurance coverage for IVF treatment, expanding access to fertility care under Montana health insurance policies, directly advancing healthcare coverage for reproductive services.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Insurance

Track

signed · Montana · House May 19, 2025

HB 590: Generally revise laws related to electronic health care records

HB 590 revises laws related to electronic health records, affecting health carriers, healthcare providers, and patients. It requires health carriers to establish and maintain specific application programming interfaces (APIs) for patient and provider access to health information, adhering to federal standards. Additionally, the bill prohibits healthcare providers from "information blocking" and mandates the disclosure of certain sensitive test results, such as those indicating malignancy or genetic markers, to a patient's electronic health record within 72 hours of finalization.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRequires health carriers to provide API access for patient/provider data, prohibits information blocking, and mandates disclosure of sensitive results - improving patient access and transparency per healthcare support indicators.95% confidence

died · Montana · House May 20, 2025

HB 653: Provide for parental right to access child's health care information

HB 653 revises state law regarding parental access to a child's health care information and consent for medical care. The bill generally requires parental consent for most medical procedures, examinations, prescription drugs, and mental health services for children, with exceptions for emergencies. It also mandates that health care providers make a child's health information available to a parent within 10 days of a request. However, parental access to this information is not required if a government entity is the child's guardian, a court order limits parental rights, or the parent is under investigation for abuse or a crime against the child.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareRequires parental consent for most medical procedures, restricting minors' access to healthcare services without parental involvement, including mental health services.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Children's Health

Track

signed · Montana · House Apr 17, 2025

HB 143: Revise definition of treating physician to include physician assistants without regard to proximity of other providers

HB 143 revises the definition of "treating physician" within the state's Workers' Compensation Act. This bill expands the definition to explicitly include physician assistants (PAs). A key provision is the removal of any requirement for PAs to be in proximity to other medical providers to qualify as a treating physician for these purposes. This change affects how workers' compensation claims are managed and potentially broadens the types of healthcare providers recognized for injured workers.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands recognition of physician assistants as treating providers in workers' compensation, removing proximity barriers to improve access to healthcare services for injured workers.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExpands workers' compensation access by including PAs as treating physicians without proximity restrictions, strengthening injured workers' benefit access under Labor & Employment.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Workers' Compensation

died · Montana · Senate May 23, 2025

SB 372: Establish nurse safe staffing standards

SB 372 establishes minimum nurse-to-patient ratios for Montana hospitals, requiring specific limits in key units (e.g., 1 nurse per critical ER patient, 2 per ICU patient, 4 per medical-surgical unit). It mandates hospitals to create annual staffing plans with input from direct-care nurses, form committees where at least half the members are frontline nurses, and publicly post these plans. Hospitals must track and report actual nurse-to-patient ratios for each shift and unit, ensuring transparency for staff, patients, and the public. The bill directly affects all Montana hospitals licensed by the Department of Public Health, requiring concrete changes to staffing practices and reporting.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates nurse-to-patient ratios for patient safety, requires hospital staffing transparency, and involves frontline nurses in planning - directly strengthening healthcare delivery standards.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates nurse-to-patient ratios and nurse input to improve workplace safety, directly advancing worker protections in healthcare staffing standards.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Healthcare Workforce Public Health

Track

died · Montana · House May 20, 2025

HB 273: Provide for limitations on collection of medical debt

HB 273, the "Montana Medical Debt Patient Protection Act," aimed to limit how health care providers and third-party collectors pursue medical debt from patients in Montana. The bill would have prohibited certain collection actions, including wage garnishment, placing liens on a patient's primary residence, and reporting adverse information to credit agencies. It also mandated a 180-day waiting period after the first bill before "extraordinary collection actions," such as filing lawsuits or selling debt, could begin, along with requiring a 30-day notice to the patient. Additionally, it sought to provide patients with an opportunity to appeal insurance decisions before a bill went to collections.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill protects patients from aggressive debt collection (wage garnishment, liens, credit reporting), directly improving healthcare access and patient rights as a core healthcare policy indicator.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentProhibits wage garnishment for medical debt, protecting workers' earnings from debt collection actions that directly impact income.95% confidence

Track

died · Montana · House May 22, 2025

HB 947: Revise insurance laws relating to continuous glucose monitors and supplies

HB 947 requires most individual health insurance policies in Montana to cover continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and their supplies for people diagnosed with type I or type II diabetes when medically necessary, as prescribed by a healthcare provider. The bill prohibits insurers from denying coverage based on diabetes severity or insulin dependence, and bans special deductibles or limits specifically for CGMs - though standard deductibles may still apply. This affects diabetes patients covered by individual disability, health, or membership insurance plans (excluding Medicare supplements, hospital indemnity, or long-term care policies). The law aims to ensure consistent access to these critical blood sugar monitoring tools without discriminatory coverage barriers.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates insurance coverage for CGMs, prohibits denial based on diabetes severity, and bans special deductibles - expanding access to essential diabetes care.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Hospitals Long-Term Care Medicare

Track

signed · Montana · House May 13, 2025

HB 576: Revise funding for medicaid and health and support services to children and to adults who are aged, blind, and disabled

HB 576 revises the funding for Medicaid and health and support services for children and adults who are aged, blind, or disabled. The bill allows a portion of the state's annual tobacco settlement proceeds to be used as matching funds for federal programs, including the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), home visiting services, and specific Medicaid waivers. It also expands the uses of an existing state special revenue account, enabling its funds to similarly provide matching funds for these same services. These changes are designed to help secure federal funding for a range of health and support programs.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesUses tobacco settlement proceeds as matching funds for Medicaid/CHIP, directly funding essential health services without new taxes or cuts.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill allocates tobacco settlement funds to expand Medicaid/CHIP funding and health services for vulnerable populations, strengthening coverage and access.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Children's Health Medicaid

signed · Montana · House May 19, 2025

HB 794: Revise pharmacy laws

HB 794 revises general pharmacy laws, impacting pharmacies, pharmacy technicians, and clinical pharmacist practitioners. The bill updates and clarifies definitions, removes the utilization plan requirement for in-state and mail-order pharmacies, and mandates an endorsement for clinical pharmacist practitioners. It also eliminates outdated notification practices for biosimilar drug selection and generic drug signage requirements. Additionally, the bill clarifies pharmacy wholesale distribution licenses and the powers of the Board of Pharmacy, and adjusts provisions for insurance plans regarding out-of-state mail-order pharmacies.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareUpdates pharmacy regulations to clarify definitions, remove outdated requirements, and mandate clinical pharmacist endorsements, improving operational efficiency and professional practice in healthcare delivery.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Prescription Drugs