Healthcare

Amend KRS 335.010 to exempt student interns or trainees from social work licensure requirements; direct the Kentucky Board of Social Work to promulgate administrative regulations to define standards for student involvement in clinical social work; amend KRS 335.020 to define terms; amend KRS 335.030, 335.070, 335.080, 335.090, 335.100, 335.150, and 335.158 to establish licensure standards, including use of a multistate license, criminal background checks, and telehealth; amend KRS 335.050 to require that at least 1 licensee member of the board is a teacher actively engaged in social work education; amend KRS 387.610 and 457.090 to conform.

HB 277 bans Kentucky public schools from selling or providing ultra-processed foods containing specific additives (like certain dyes and brominated oils) during the school day, starting in the 2027-2028 school year. It directly affects all Kentucky public schools and students by prohibiting these foods in cafeterias, vending machines, school stores, and student-organized fundraisers held during school hours. The bill defines "ultra-processed food" by listing 11 specific additives with their chemical identifiers, but does not restrict food sales at off-property fundraisers or outside school hours. This policy change aims to limit student access to foods containing the listed additives during the school day.

Create a new section of Subtitle 17A of KRS Chapter 304 to require health benefit plans to provide coverage for prostheses and orthoses; establish minimum requirements for the required coverage; require utilizations review decisions to be made in a nondiscriminatory manner; require an insurer or its private review agent to provide notice of certain rights of the insured; establish notice requirements for denials; establish network adequacy requirements for the provision of a prosthesis or orthosis that is required to be covered; establish reporting requirements for insurers and the commissioner of the Department of Insurance relating to the required coverage; amend KRS 164.2871 and 18A.225 to require self-insured group health plans offering by the governing board of state postsecondary education institutions and the state employee health plan to comply with the requirements relating to coverage for prostheses and orthoses; provide that the Act applies to health benefit plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027; EFFECTIVE January 1, 2027.

Amend KRS 158.832 to include intranasal epinephrine to list of medications used to treat anaphylaxis; amend KRS 158.836 to include intranasal epinephrine as permissible for schools to keep.

Create a new section of Subtitle 17A of KRS Chapter 304 to require coverage for emergency ground ambulance services; establish minimum allowable reimbursement for out-of-network emergency ground ambulance services; establish requirements for reimbursement of out-of-network ground ambulance providers; prohibit balance billing by out-of-network ground ambulance providers; establish construction clause in the event of conflicts; amend KRS 18A.225 to require the state employee health plan to comply with emergency ground ambulance coverage and payment requirements; provide that Act applies to health benefit plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027; EFFECTIVE January 1, 2027.

HB 444 clarifies the scope of audiology practice in Kentucky by redefining "practice of audiology" to explicitly include evaluating hearing/vestibular conditions, fitting hearing aids, and externally fitting sound processors for hearing implants (like cochlear implants or bone-anchored devices). It defines "sound processor" as the external device attached to these implants and specifies that audiologists cannot perform surgeries, diagnose serious ear cancers (which must be referred to physicians), or remove impacted ear wax requiring anesthesia. This directly affects licensed audiologists by defining their permitted services and ensures patients understand the boundaries of audiology care. The bill focuses solely on regulatory definitions, with no changes to licensing requirements or fees.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to define "feminine hygiene product"; require each public school and public charter school that includes any of grades 4 through 12 to provide free feminine hygiene products to female students; require each local board of education and public charter school board of directors to adopt policies relating to the distribution of free feminine hygiene products.

Create a new section of Subtitle 12 of KRS Chapter 304 to define terms; consolidate and modify existing credentialing requirements; require insurers and providers to use the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) credentialing form; prohibit insurers from requiring or otherwise requesting a provider to disclose any information that is not requested on the CAQH form or that relates to a provider's former or current health condition under certain circumstances; prohibit insurers from requiring a provider to be board certified; amend KRS 18A.225 to require the state employee health plan to comply with the credentialing requirements; amend KRS 205.560 to conform; amend KRS 216B.155 to conform and to prohibit health care facilities licensed under KRS Chapter 216B from requiring or otherwise requesting a provider to disclose a former or current health condition under certain circumstances; amend KRS 304.17A-545 and 311.6207 to conform; repeal KRS 304.17A-525 and 304.17A-576, relating to credentialing to consolidate provisions; direct that certain provisions apply to contracts issued or renewed on or after the effective date of the Act; require administrative bodies to amend any administrative regulations that conflict with the Act.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 205 to require Medicaid coverage for palliative care services; establish eligibility criteria and service requirements; require the Department for Medicaid Services to promulgate administrative regulations; require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services or the Department for Medicaid Services to seek federal approval if it is determined that such approval is necessary; provide authorization from the General Assembly to make changes to the Medicaid program as required under KRS 205.5372(1).

Create new sections of Subtitle 17A of KRS Chapter 304 to define terms; require health plans to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of feeding or eating disorders; prohibit insurers from using certain standards, including body mass index, to deny, limit, or restrict coverage; authorize insurers to consider certain factors when determining medical necessity or the appropriate level of care for an individual diagnosed with a feeding or eating disorder; amend KRS 304.17C-125, 304.38A-115, 205.522, 205.6485, 164.2871, and 18A.225 to require limited health services benefit plans, limited health service organizations, Medicaid, KCHIP, self-insured employer group plans provided by the governing board of a state postsecondary education institution, and the state employee health plan to comply with the coverage requirements for feeding or eating disorders; provide that various sections apply to health plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027; require the Cabinet for Health and Family Services or the Department for Medicaid Services to seek federal approval if it is determined that such approval is necessary; provide authorization from the General Assembly to make changes in the Medicaid program as required under KRS 205.5372(1); EFFECTIVE, in part, January 1, 2027.