Healthcare

signed · Rhode Island · Senate Jun 10, 2026

SB 2891: AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- OFFICE OF STATE MEDICAL EXAMINERS

Clarifies and updates language in the office of state medical examiners statute to address outdated or ambiguous language, outdated practices, outdated position titles/qualifications, and ensure compliance with federal HIPAA requirements.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill updates medical examiner statutes to ensure HIPAA compliance, protecting patient privacy rights and modernizing healthcare administration practices.75% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

passed · Rhode Island · Senate Jun 10, 2026

SB 2867: AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- CONFIDENTIALITY OF HEALTH CARE COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION ACT

Provides conditions under which BHDDH has the authority to compel certain healthcare providers to finish requested healthcare records without violating The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill strengthens patient confidentiality rights by amending protections for healthcare communications and information access processes.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

Track

signed · Rhode Island · Senate Jun 10, 2026

SB 2878: AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- DENTISTS AND DENTAL HYGIENISTS

This bill allows dental hygienists to receive payment from insurance sources other than the dentist's own plan, including third-party payors like Medicare. It directly affects dental practices by expanding the types of insurance that can reimburse dental hygienists for their services. The key provision removes previous restrictions that limited reimbursement to specific insurance arrangements, enabling broader payment options for dental hygiene care. This change applies to all dental practices employing dental hygienists within the state where the bill is enacted.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill expands insurance reimbursement options for dental hygienists, improving patient access to care and strengthening healthcare service delivery.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Rhode Island · Senate Jun 10, 2026

SB 2870: AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- LEAD POISONING PREVENTION ACT

Requires any licensed lab performing blood lead analyses of a child under 6 to be certified by the director and said laboratory must perform this test regardless of the child or child’s parent’s ability to pay and at no cost.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill mandates free lead poisoning testing for children under 6, improving public health access and protecting vulnerable populations from health risks.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

passed · Rhode Island · Senate Jun 10, 2026

SB 2032: AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE -- ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS INSURANCE POLICIES

SB 2032 prohibits health insurance plans in Rhode Island from requiring patients to pay copays, deductibles, or other out-of-pocket costs for diagnostic or supplemental breast examinations. It specifically covers exams used to evaluate abnormalities (diagnostic) or screen for breast cancer in high-risk individuals (supplemental), based on medical history or risk factors. The law applies to all group and individual health insurance plans, including those offered by health maintenance organizations and nonprofit health corporations. The bill takes effect January 1, 2027, ensuring these exams are fully covered without cost-sharing for enrollees.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareProhibits copays/deductibles for breast cancer screenings, improving access to diagnostic/supplemental exams for high-risk patients under insurance plans.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

Track

passed · Rhode Island · Senate Jun 9, 2026

SB 2444: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- SALES AND USE TAXES -- LIABILITY AND COMPUTATION

SB 2444 exempts scalp hair prosthetics or wigs necessary due to medical hair loss from state sales tax. This directly affects individuals with medical conditions requiring such prosthetics, making them more affordable. The bill amends the sales tax code to explicitly include "prosthetic devices" under tax-exempt medical items, aligning with existing exemptions for similar durable medical equipment. The change creates a clear policy update to reduce financial burden for this specific medical need.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesExempts medical prosthetics from sales tax, providing direct tax relief for individuals with medical conditions, aligning with tax exemption policies for durable medical equipment.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExempts medical hair prosthetics from sales tax, reducing out-of-pocket costs for patients with medical conditions requiring such devices, aligning with tax exemptions for durable medical equipment.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

Track

passed · Rhode Island · Senate Jun 9, 2026

SB 2034: AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE -- ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS INSURANCE POLICIES

SB 2034 requires all health insurance plans sold in the state to cover at least one type of buprenorphine (used for opioid use disorder treatment) without any copayment or deductible for every 12-month plan year. It applies directly to insured individuals in the state who use these insurance plans, starting January 1, 2027. The bill mandates that plans provide this coverage for all forms of buprenorphine administration, eliminating out-of-pocket costs for this medication. Plans may still apply deductibles for health savings account (HSA) pairs, but early implementation before 2027 is permitted.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates insurance coverage for buprenorphine without copay/deductible, improving access to opioid use disorder treatment per bill's explicit requirements.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

Track

passed · Rhode Island · Senate Jun 9, 2026

SB 2010: AN ACT RELATING TO INSURANCE -- THE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE USE BY HEALTH INSURERS TO MANAGE COVERAGE AND CLAIMS ACT

SB 2010 requires health insurers in Rhode Island to disclose how they use artificial intelligence (AI) to manage claims and coverage decisions, particularly for denials of medically necessary care. Insurers must document AI-driven decisions for five years, report system details to regulators, and ensure licensed healthcare providers review and approve any AI-related denial of medically necessary care before finalizing it. The bill mandates transparency about AI models, training data, and performance metrics, while requiring annual reports to the governor and legislature on insurer AI usage. This directly affects health insurers, enrollees (policyholders), and healthcare providers involved in coverage decisions.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates insurer transparency in AI-driven coverage denials, requires provider review of medically necessary care denials, protecting patient access and rights.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyMandates transparency and accountability for AI use in health insurance claims, requiring disclosure of AI models and provider review of denials, aligning with consumer protection regulations.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

Track

passed · Rhode Island · Senate Jun 5, 2026

SB 3256: AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- PUBLIC HEALTH DATA PRIVACY AND PROTECTION ACT

Creates the public health data privacy and protection act to regulate the reporting of information relating to reportable disease data in the possession of the department of health.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill protects public health data privacy, safeguarding patient rights and strengthening health information security.90% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyBill explicitly strengthens data privacy protections for public health information, aligning with the indicator of protecting data privacy.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

Track

passed · Rhode Island · Senate Jun 5, 2026

SB 2889: AN ACT RELATING TO FOOD AND DRUGS -- UNIFORM CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES ACT

Prescriptions for testosterone not allowed to be transmitted or reported within the prescription drug monitoring database and removes from the records all existing information concerning prior testosterone prescriptions.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill restricts access to prescription monitoring data for testosterone prescriptions, limiting healthcare oversight and patient safety tracking.75% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Healthcare

Track