HB 99 removes specific nonprofit agricultural membership organizations from Ohio's insurance regulations. It defines these organizations as state-incorporated entities serving farmers' interests and providing healthcare coverage exclusively to members and their families. The bill clarifies that such healthcare coverage is not considered "insurance" under state law, exempting these organizations from Title XXXIX regulations and the superintendent of insurance's jurisdiction. This allows the organizations to provide healthcare benefits without insurance licensing while permitting reinsuring of related risks through authorized insurers.
HB 530 establishes the Long-term Care Workforce Study Commission to examine challenges in the long-term care sector. The commission will study issues like staffing shortages, training needs, and retention strategies affecting facilities and workers. This bill directly impacts long-term care providers and their employees by creating a formal process to assess workforce gaps and inform future policy decisions.
To amend sections 1751.62, 3923.52, 3923.53, 5162.20, and 5164.08 of the Revised Code to revise the law governing insurance and Medicaid coverage of breast cancer screenings and examinations and to name this act the Breast Examination and Screening Transformation Act, or BEST Act.
HB 474, the Ohio Dementia Care Training Act for Nurse Aides, requires nurse aides working in Ohio healthcare facilities to complete specialized dementia care training. This bill directly affects nurse aides employed in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other long-term care settings across the state. The key provision mandates that facilities ensure all nurse aides receive this training, which focuses on understanding and supporting patients with dementia. The law updates Ohio Revised Code sections 3721.28-3721.30 to establish this new training requirement.
To amend section 5747.98 and to enact section 5747.87 of the Revised Code to authorize a nonrefundable income tax credit for small employers that cover their employees with an individual coverage health reimbursement arrangement.
To amend sections 1753.28 and 3923.65 and to enact sections 1753.29 and 3923.66 of the Revised Code to prohibit a health insuring corporation or sickness and accident insurer from reducing or denying a claim based on certain factors.
To amend section 5163.33 of the Revised Code to declare the General Assembly's intent to increase the Medicaid personal needs allowance for residents of nursing homes and ICFs/IID.
HB 579 would require Ohio health insurers to follow new rules when using artificial intelligence for coverage decisions or pricing. It establishes specific requirements for transparency in AI decision-making and mandates bias testing for algorithms used in insurance processes. These rules directly apply to all health insurance companies operating in Ohio. The bill amends existing law (section 3902.50) and adds new provisions (section 3902.80) to create these regulatory standards.
To amend sections 3727.50, 3727.51, 3727.52, 3727.54, 3727.55, and 3727.56; to enact new section 3727.53 and section 4123.293; and to repeal section 3727.53 of the Revised Code to revise the law governing hospital-wide nursing care committees and hospital nursing services staffing plans.
SB 249 would authorize pharmacists to dispense ivermectin without a prescription by enacting section 4729.44 of Ohio's Revised Code. This change would allow patients to obtain ivermectin directly from pharmacies, bypassing the requirement for a physician's order. The bill establishes specific conditions for this dispensing process, including requirements for pharmacist verification. It directly affects pharmacies and patients seeking ivermectin for medical purposes without a prescription.
