SB 32 establishes the Perinatal Bereavement Care Initiative within Louisiana's Department of Health to improve support for families experiencing pregnancy loss or infant death. The bill requires hospitals providing maternity care to receive staff training on supporting grieving parents, access to bereavement resources (like counseling referrals), and perinatal bereavement devices. It prioritizes hospitals serving high-risk patients, delivering many babies, or lacking current bereavement resources. The initiative can fund these services using voluntary monies, including federal grants and donations, without imposing new taxes.
HB 106 prohibits child day care centers in Louisiana from providing melatonin (a nonprescription sleep aid) to children without written consent from a parent or legal guardian. The law directly affects day care centers and parents/guardians, requiring centers to obtain explicit permission before administering melatonin. Violations carry penalties of up to $1,000 in fines, six months in jail, or both. The bill specifically targets melatonin use in day care settings, not all nonprescription medications. It is currently pending before the Administration of Criminal Justice Committee.
SB 84 requires all health insurance plans sold in Louisiana to cover prostate cancer screening for men aged 40-49 (as medically appropriate) and men over 50, following National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines. It mandates that insurers cover these screenings without any out-of-pocket costs for enrollees, including deductibles, copays, or coinsurance. The law applies to new policies starting January 1, 2027, and existing policies must comply by January 1, 2028. This directly affects Louisiana health insurers and their policyholders by guaranteeing no-cost access to recommended prostate cancer screenings.
SB 113 establishes a backup mechanism for Louisiana's Local Healthcare Provider Participation Program in Calcasieu Parish. If the parish fails to authorize a local hospital assessment payment by June 1, 2026, municipalities within the parish with populations over 60,000 may independently authorize such assessments for healthcare providers operating within their city limits. The bill treats these municipalities as equivalent to parishes for compliance purposes, requiring them to meet the same program requirements. This procedural bill directly affects Calcasieu Parish and its larger municipalities, clarifying governance authority for healthcare funding.
SB 192 requires dental insurance plans in Louisiana to obtain written, explicit consent ("express acceptance") from dentists before switching their payment method to electronic funds transfer or credit card. It defines "express acceptance" as a clear, written agreement from the dental provider, eliminating implied or ambiguous consent. The bill applies to all new dental insurance policies issued on or after January 1, 2027, and existing policies must comply by January 1, 2028. This directly affects dental insurance plans and dentists by mandating written agreement for payment method changes.
SB 219 creates a new "Office of Health and Nutrition" within the Louisiana Department of Health. This office will coordinate existing state programs including the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) supplemental nutrition program, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), and physical fitness initiatives. It establishes an executive director who reports directly to the Health Secretary and outlines the office's duties to lead and develop policy for these nutrition and health programs. The bill amends existing statutes to formally integrate this office into the department's structure without changing eligibility or funding for the programs it coordinates.
SB 221 establishes that "treatment-in-place" services - where ambulance providers assess and treat patients at the scene of a 911 call without transporting them - must be covered under Louisiana's Medicaid program (medical assistance program). Ambulance providers (excluding air ambulance services) will be reimbursed at existing Medicaid fee schedule rates for these services, without requiring real-time video or audio communication with a doctor for reimbursement. The bill mandates that such services follow medical protocols and the provider's scope of practice, while the Louisiana Department of Health will create implementing rules. This directly affects Medicaid beneficiaries receiving non-transport emergency care and ambulance providers who serve them.
SB 255 requires Medicaid-funded behavioral health providers in Louisiana to ensure staff delivering psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR) services hold at least a bachelor's degree in specific fields like counseling, social work, or psychology. This affects all licensed providers seeking Medicaid reimbursement for PSR services. The bill mandates these educational qualifications as a condition for continued reimbursement, updating existing Medicaid eligibility rules. The measure is pending legislative review and would not take effect until enacted.
SB 253 prevents Louisiana's professional licensing boards from banning healthcare providers with prescriptive authority from prescribing peptides shipped from FDA-registered 503B facilities or FDA-registered compounding pharmacies. It directly affects doctors and other licensed prescribers who currently use such peptide sources. The bill requires providers to verify that prescribed peptides are not on the FDA's prohibited compounding list. This law aims to remove regulatory barriers for access to specific peptide treatments while ensuring compliance with federal FDA guidelines.
SB 314 allows certified social workers in Louisiana who have provided community psychiatric support and treatment (CPST) services for three years to extend their certification for that specific role. It applies to workers who meet all master's-level social work licensure requirements except for one specific provision (R.S. 37:2707(A)(3)), enabling them to petition for an extension to continue CPST work. The bill specifically includes a provision to renew certifications that expired in 2025, allowing affected workers to apply for the extension. This is a procedural change to certification rules, not a new service or funding measure.
