Healthcare

signed · Utah · Senate Mar 17, 2026

SB 96: Opioid Fatality Review Amendments

SB 96 amends Utah laws to clarify how the Department of Health and Human Services investigates opioid overdose deaths and shares related information. It explicitly states the department can investigate drug overdose fatalities as public health hazards, specifies that treatment records shared with medical examiners must follow federal privacy laws (like 42 U.S.C. § 290dd-2), and allows the department to use its authority to identify prevention and intervention opportunities after deaths under the medical examiner’s jurisdiction. The bill directly affects the Department of Health, medical examiners, healthcare providers (who share treatment records), and public health officials. It makes no new funding changes and updates existing codes without creating new programs.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareClarifies public health investigations of opioid deaths, ensures privacy compliance for data sharing, and enables prevention strategies under public health initiatives.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Utah · House Mar 17, 2026

HB 171: Physician Assistant Amendments

HB 171 clarifies that insurance plans must allow patients to select physician assistants (PAs) as primary care providers without higher costs or barriers. It amends Utah law to explicitly include PAs in insurance coverage requirements for primary care, ensuring they are recognized alongside physicians, obstetricians, gynecologists, and pediatricians. The bill requires insurers to cover PA services as primary care under the same terms as other providers, preventing higher premiums or copays for choosing a PA. This affects patients seeking primary care and insurance companies operating in Utah, with the changes taking effect May 6, 2026.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEnsures insurance coverage for PA primary care without cost barriers, expanding patient access to healthcare services as required by amended law.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Utah · House Mar 17, 2026

HB 97: Medical Waste Amendments

HB 97, titled "Medical Waste Amendments" (though it addresses medication distribution, not waste), requires health facilities like hospitals, urgent care centers, and surgical facilities to offer unused portions of specific medications to patients upon discharge if continued treatment is needed. The bill covers topical antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, dilation drops, or glaucoma treatments provided during procedures or visits. It mandates that these medications be labeled per pharmacy laws and requires prescribers to counsel patients on proper use, while exempting them from standard pharmacy counseling rules. This applies directly to patients receiving facility-provided medications during care, effective May 6, 2026.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates free medication distribution to patients upon discharge, improving access to necessary treatments and reducing waste of usable medications.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Utah · House Mar 17, 2026

HB 71: Health Provider Directory and Access Amendments

HB 71 requires health insurance companies (covered insurers) to help enrollees access behavioral health services (like mental health and substance use treatment) in a timely manner when in-network providers aren't available. Insurers must publish and regularly update accurate provider directories, facilitate out-of-network care within 7 days (or 24 hours for emergencies), and follow specific rules for single case agreements to cover out-of-network services. The bill also extends these requirements to Utah's Medicaid program and directs the state to create a working group to study a statewide behavioral health provider directory. These changes apply to all insurers offering behavioral health coverage, effective July 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill mandates insurers to ensure timely access to behavioral health services, update provider directories, and facilitate out-of-network care, directly improving patient access to mental health coverage.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Utah · Senate Mar 17, 2026

SB 31: Office of Professional Licensure Review Amendments

SB 31 amends Utah's professional licensure laws for health care providers, directly affecting physical therapists, occupational therapists, acupuncturists, nurse practitioners, and medication aides. It expands practice authority - allowing physical therapists to prescribe medical equipment and order certain imaging, and letting occupational therapists prescribe adaptive devices - and changes licensing requirements, such as replacing certification with a license for medication aides. The bill also increases registered nursing experience needed for nurse practitioner licensure, adjusts supervision rules for therapists, and clarifies prescriptive powers for acupuncturists. These changes aim to modernize scope-of-practice standards while maintaining safety protocols.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands practice authority for therapists, improving patient access to care without physician referral, aligning with healthcare access indicators.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Utah · House Mar 17, 2026

HB 117: Organ Donation Amendments

HB 117 requires Utah residents to receive organ donation registration information during three key state interactions: when using the Division of Wildlife Resources website, during initial healthcare facility visits, and in individual income tax forms or instructions. It also mandates the Department of Health to form a coalition creating a statewide communication plan for life-saving programs through state channels. The bill adds specific requirements for healthcare facilities to ask patients about donation status and provides links to the online donor registry on tax materials and state websites. These changes aim to increase registration rates by making information accessible at common state service touchpoints, with no new funding required.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates organ donation registration during healthcare visits and creates statewide communication plan for life-saving programs, advancing public health initiatives within healthcare services.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

passed · Utah · House Mar 7, 2026

HB 480: Medical Record Amendments

HB 480 amends Utah's medical record laws to clarify abortion classifications. It defines "elective abortion" as one not needed for health reasons and "medically indicated abortion" as one required to save a woman's life, treat a pregnancy loss, or address serious health risks. The bill allows patients to request that their medical records reflect a prior abortion as "not elective" (i.e., medically necessary), and requires healthcare providers to update records upon such a request. These changes affect patients who have had abortions and the healthcare providers maintaining their records, with no new funding or major procedural shifts.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareClarifies medical records to protect patient rights by allowing correction of abortion classifications to reflect medical necessity, advancing patient-centered healthcare documentation.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

Track

passed · Utah · House Mar 7, 2026

HB 216: Child Support Calculation Amendments

HB 216 amends Utah's child support law to exclude Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits from the gross income calculation used to determine child support payments. This change directly affects parents who receive SSDI, ensuring these disability benefits are not counted as income when calculating their child support obligation. The bill modifies Utah Code Section 81-6-203 by adding SSDI to a list of excluded benefits, alongside other means-tested programs like Medicaid and SNAP. This adjustment aligns with existing exclusions for similar benefits and prevents SSDI recipients from having these funds considered as available income for support payments. The change takes effect May 6, 2026.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExcludes SSDI (disability benefits) from child support calculations, protecting access to healthcare-related disability benefits per Utah Code changes.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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passed · Utah · House Mar 7, 2026

HB 338: First Responder Health Amendments

HB 338 requires all Utah first responder agencies to provide mental health services to current first responders, their spouses and children, surviving spouses of line-of-duty deaths, and retired or separated first responders (and their spouses) for three years after separation. It creates a Mental Health Resources Reserve Account funded by agency contributions to provide grants for mental health plans, prioritizing small agencies, and mandates the Department of Public Safety to submit annual compliance reports to specific committees and a public safety portal. The bill also updates grant application requirements to ensure providers have first responder-specific experience and outlines detailed plan criteria for agencies seeking funding. No new state funds are appropriated; existing resources will support these expanded services.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates mental health services for first responders and families via agency funding, creating dedicated resources and prioritizing small agencies.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates mental health services for first responders, enhancing workplace safety and worker well-being per Labor & Employment topic description.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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passed · Utah · House Mar 7, 2026

HB 345: Victim Amendments

HB 345 modifies Utah's victim reparations law to expand access for specific victims. It specifically allows mental health counseling as part of reparations for individuals who experienced sexual assault while incarcerated in a prison, jail, or correctional facility. The bill also updates the legal definition of "criminally injurious conduct" and makes technical changes to existing code sections (63M-7-502, 63M-7-509, and 63M-7-510). These changes directly affect incarcerated sexual assault victims seeking reparations for psychological harm. The bill does not appropriate new funds.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeExpands victim reparations to include mental health counseling for incarcerated sexual assault survivors, strengthening support within correctional facilities and aligning with criminal justice reform priorities.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands mental health counseling access for incarcerated sexual assault victims under reparations, directly supporting mental health services as a healthcare component.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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