SB 236: HEALTH CARE: Provides relative to kidney disease. (8/1/26) (EN NO IMPACT See Note) - Louisiana

Senate Floor Bureau Note, #1210, Owen, Robert, Adopted → SB236 Act 478 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was converted from a Senate floor amendment note into an official enrolled act, formally enacting a new statute (R.S. 46:450.5.1) to address chronic and rare kidney diseases. This legislation establishes legislative findings on the disease's impact, mandates the Louisiana Department of Health to conduct annual reviews of covered treatments, and requires the department to submit detailed reports to state leadership and the legislature by July 1 of each year.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a proposed amendment to a fully enacted law that adds a new section to the Revised Statutes, creating a permanent requirement for the Department of Health to review kidney disease treatments and report findings.

REQUIREMENT

Mandates the Louisiana Department of Health to perform an annual review of medications and services for chronic and rare kidney diseases to ensure they meet patient needs.

Requires the Department of Health to solicit public input, specifically from groups with expertise in kidney diseases, during the annual review process.

TIMELINE

Establishes a reporting deadline of July 1 each year, with the first report due by July 1, 2027, to be submitted to the Senate, House, relevant committees, and the Legislative Research Library.

DEFINITION

Formally defines the legislative intent to encourage prevention, early screening, diagnosis, and treatment of kidney disease to reduce costs and improve patient outcomes.

SB236 Original → Senate Floor Bureau Note, #1210, Owen, Robert, Adopted · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill was amended to remove the specific phrase 'kidney disease' from two locations in the text. This change likely aims to broaden the language or correct a drafting error, ensuring the legislation's requirements apply more generally to the conditions discussed rather than being restricted to a specific term.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's language was slightly altered by removing specific terminology, potentially broadening its application or clarifying intent.

DEFINITION

Deleted the phrase 'kidney disease' on page 1, line 15, and page 3, line 2.

SB236 Enrolled → SB236 Original · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was renumbered from SB 236 to SLS 26RS-499 and stripped of its 'Enrolled' status to become an 'Original' draft version. The text was reformatted to clearly distinguish between new additions and deletions from existing law. Substantively, the bill's core policy regarding kidney disease coverage and annual reviews remains unchanged, though specific phrasing was slightly adjusted to improve clarity.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; it continues to address chronic and rare kidney diseases within the Medicaid system.

TECHNICAL

The bill was renumbered from SB 236 to SLS 26RS-499 and changed from 'Enrolled' to 'Original' status, indicating it is a draft version rather than a finalized law.

The text was restructured to use a diff format, clearly marking new language as additions and removed language as deletions for legislative review purposes.

Minor wording adjustments were made to the legislative findings, such as changing 'United States' to 'Louisiana and the United States' and 'often results' to 'often result' for grammatical consistency.

SB236 Reengrossed → SB236 Enrolled · 3 edits · May 25, 2026

MINOR

The bill was finalized as an enrolled version, adding a co-sponsor from the House of Representatives and removing the Senate-only sponsorship. The substantive policy content, including the requirement for the Department of Health to conduct annual reviews of kidney disease treatments and submit reports, remains unchanged from the previous version.

TECHNICAL

The bill's sponsorship was updated to include both a Senator and a Representative, indicating it has passed both chambers and is ready for the Governor's signature.

The document header was updated from 'Reengrossed' to 'Enrolled', signifying the final version approved by both legislative houses.

Page numbering and footer references were adjusted to reflect the final three-page count of the enrolled bill.

SB236 Engrossed → SB236 Reengrossed · 1 edit · Mar 30, 2026

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to correct a minor wording error in the legislative intent section, changing 'chronic kidney disease and rare kidney diseases' to 'chronic and rare kidney diseases.' This change removes the redundant word 'disease' to improve clarity and consistency throughout the document. The substantive policy requirements, such as the mandate to partner with state entities for education and screening, and the timeline for reporting, remain unchanged.

TECHNICAL

Corrected a redundant phrase in the legislative intent section to read 'chronic and rare kidney diseases' instead of 'chronic kidney disease and rare kidney diseases.'

HEALTH CARE: Provides relative to kidney disease. (8/1/26) (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

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