Healthcare

passed both · Montana · Senate May 6, 2025

SJ 49: Interim study of youth and family behavioral health prevention

SJ 49 requests an interim study of youth and family behavioral health prevention programs across Montana. An interim committee will be designated to comprehensively review these programs, focusing on their funding, workforce, and delivery settings for youth under 18. The study aims to identify gaps in the state's behavioral health system and assess how prevention efforts divert youth and families from crises, with findings to be reported to the 70th Legislature.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill initiates study to identify gaps in youth mental health prevention programs, aiming to strengthen system through comprehensive review of funding, workforce, and delivery settings.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

Track

signed · Montana · House May 5, 2025

HB 447: Enact the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact

HB 447 enacts the Respiratory Care Interstate Compact, allowing licensed respiratory therapists to practice in multiple member states without needing a full license in each. This aims to increase public access to respiratory therapy services and improve workforce mobility, including for military members and their spouses. The compact establishes a "compact privilege" for therapists to practice in other member states while preserving each state's regulatory authority. It also includes provisions for criminal background checks for license applicants.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill explicitly increases public access to respiratory therapy services by enabling interstate practice, improving workforce mobility for therapists, and aligning with healthcare access indicators.92% confidence ✓ VeteransSupports VeteransBill explicitly includes military members and spouses in workforce mobility benefits, supporting veteran family employment through interstate practice privileges.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Montana · House May 5, 2025

HB 454: Revise visit frequency required of supervisory physical therapists

HB 454 revises the required frequency of patient visits by a licensed physical therapist when supervising a physical therapy assistant. This bill directly affects licensed physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, and the patients they serve. It changes the supervisory requirement, allowing a physical therapist to make an onsite or telehealth visit once for every eight visits made by an assistant, rather than six. Additionally, the time-based supervisory visit is extended from every two weeks to every 30 days, whichever occurs first.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareReduces mandatory supervision frequency for physical therapists, increasing efficiency and potentially improving patient access to services through streamlined care delivery.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Montana · House May 5, 2025

HB 473: Allow for automatic CMS medicare fee schedule updates

HB 473 grants the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) the authority to adopt Medicare fee schedules issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) through administrative rule. A key provision allows for the automatic incorporation of future updates to these federal fee schedules. This streamlines the process for DPHHS to align state reimbursement rates with federal Medicare standards. The bill affects the DPHHS's rulemaking procedures and indirectly impacts healthcare providers and beneficiaries whose services are reimbursed based on these schedules.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareAutomates Medicare fee schedule updates to align state reimbursements with federal standards, improving provider payment stability and patient access to care.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Montana · House May 5, 2025

HB 600: Authorize emergency use of albuterol in a school setting

HB 600 authorizes public and nonpublic schools to maintain a supply of "stock albuterol," a quick-relief asthma medication, for emergency use. This medication can be administered by a school nurse or other authorized school personnel to any individual, student or non-student, experiencing respiratory distress on school grounds or at school-related activities. Schools choosing to keep stock albuterol must develop a protocol for staff training, medication maintenance, and post-administration follow-up, including determining when to make a 9-1-1 emergency call. The bill requires a prescription for the stock albuterol, with the school designated as the patient.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareAuthorizes school access to emergency asthma medication, improving immediate healthcare access for respiratory distress in educational settings.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Montana · House May 5, 2025

HB 458: Generally revise laws related to physician assistants

HB 458 revises laws concerning physician assistants and medical malpractice claims. The bill expands the definition of "health care provider" to include physician assistants, affecting their liability in malpractice cases. It also increases the limit on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice claims, raising the initial cap from $250,000 to $300,000. This new limit will then progressively increase each year, reaching $500,000 by 2029 and adjusting annually by 2% thereafter. These changes apply to both future and existing medical malpractice claims.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands healthcare provider definition for PAs and increases malpractice damage caps, improving access and patient rights95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Montana · House May 5, 2025

HB 397: Revise laws related to privacy in mental health digital service

HB 397 establishes confidentiality standards for mental health digital services. It defines these services as mobile applications or websites that collect, use, or access information related to an individual's mental health or substance use disorder, market themselves as facilitating such services, and use the information for diagnosis, treatment, or management. The bill subjects these services to existing health care information disclosure and confidentiality provisions. It also provides for enforcement and remedies for individuals whose information is disclosed in violation of these standards.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEstablishes confidentiality standards for mental health digital services, protecting patient privacy under existing healthcare confidentiality laws, aligning with patient rights and mental health support.92% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyHB 397 extends existing health privacy laws to digital mental health services, enforcing confidentiality standards for data handling in technology platforms, thus protecting user privacy.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Montana · House May 5, 2025

HB 398: Generally revise insurance laws related to prior authorization of chronic conditions

HB 398 revises health insurance laws regarding utilization review, impacting patients and health insurance companies. The bill requires health plans to honor previously approved health care services for at least three months when a patient changes plans, ensuring continuity of care. It mandates that only licensed physicians, specializing in the relevant condition, can make or review decisions to deny or reduce health care services (adverse determinations). Additionally, it clarifies the definition of "adverse determination" and other related terms within insurance law.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRequires continuity of care for chronic conditions and mandates specialist review for denials, protecting patient access to approved treatments and reducing arbitrary insurance denials.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Montana · House May 5, 2025

HB 475: Regulate restraints on women while giving childbirth

House Bill 475 restricts the use of physical restraints on inmates known to be pregnant during labor and delivery. It generally prohibits restraints unless there are extraordinary circumstances, such as an individualized determination that the inmate is a flight risk or poses a clear threat to themselves or others. Even in these cases, leg or waist restraints are strictly prohibited. The bill also requires that any applied restraints be the least restrictive necessary and removed when the risk is mitigated or at the request of a healthcare professional.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRestricts physical restraints on pregnant inmates during childbirth, advancing humane corrections practices and protecting civil rights in custody.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRestricts unnecessary restraints on pregnant inmates during labor, protecting maternal health access and safety during childbirth, aligning with healthcare patient rights.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

signed · Montana · House May 5, 2025

HB 544: Generally revise health insurance laws relating to health utilization review

HB 544 revises health insurance laws, affecting health insurance issuers, covered individuals, and state employees/retirees. It prohibits health insurance issuers from retroactively denying coverage for services that received prior approval, with exceptions for fraud or misrepresentation. The bill also allows biologic therapies to be prescribed to minors under 18, even if FDA-approved only for adults, provided the treatment is medically necessary and supported by peer-reviewed medical literature. Furthermore, it amends provisions for state insurance contracts, detailing conditions under which certain state employees, retirees, and their families, as well as legislators and judges, can continue membership in state group health plans.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareProhibits retroactive coverage denials and expands access to biologic therapies for minors, protecting patient rights and improving access to care.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare