SB 2533, known as "The Isbill Act," requires Tennessee law enforcement officers and correctional personnel to undergo annual training on criteria for involuntary mental health admissions. It mandates the POST commission and Tennessee corrections institute to develop guidelines and training materials covering both emergency and nonemergency involuntary admissions to inpatient treatment. The bill directly affects all law enforcement officers and correctional staff in Tennessee, requiring them to complete this training annually. The law takes effect July 1, 2027, and amends Tennessee Code Sections 38-8-101, 41-7-101, and 33-6-401.
SB 2425 requires TennCare to separately evaluate an individual's physical and mental conditions when determining eligibility for residential facility benefits, such as nursing homes or skilled nursing facilities. This change applies to all individuals seeking these benefits under Tennessee's Medicaid program. The bill mandates that eligibility scoring must assess physical health and mental health as distinct factors, rather than combining them. It directly affects TennCare beneficiaries applying for or receiving residential care services. The policy change aims to ensure more precise eligibility assessments by addressing physical and mental health needs independently.
SB 2496 prohibits Tennessee hospitals from negotiating or entering anti-competitive agreements with other hospitals or engaging in anti-competitive conduct. It also bans the use of state funds to support activities that supervise such anti-competitive behavior in healthcare. The bill amends the 1993 Hospital Cooperation Act to end the state's prior policy of allowing hospital mergers under state oversight, which the legislature determined failed to protect public interests. This law applies to new contracts and agreements executed on or after its effective date.
SB 2149, the "HOPE Treatment Act," creates a framework for Tennessee to fund clinical trials using ibogaine - a compound being studied for treating mental health and substance use disorders - to accelerate research into its medical potential. It allows groups of organizations (including drug developers, universities, and hospitals) to form a "cohort" and apply for state funding to conduct FDA-approved trials for conditions like opioid addiction, PTSD, depression, and traumatic brain injury. The bill requires detailed proposals covering trial design, safety protocols, participant recruitment, and aftercare plans before funding is granted. This initiative aims to advance research on ibogaine within Tennessee, aligning with broader state and federal interest in psychedelic-assisted therapies.
HB 2315 would allow licensed psychologists in Tennessee to prescribe certain medications, including controlled substances, after meeting specific education and training requirements. To qualify, psychologists must complete a post-doctoral master's program in clinical psychopharmacology (with 450 patient contact hours), pass a national exam, and complete a one-year fellowship with at least 100 patient evaluations under physician supervision. The Tennessee Board of Examiners in Psychology would certify qualified psychologists and establish renewal rules. This bill would directly affect psychologists seeking prescribing authority and their patients, expanding access to mental health treatment options within psychology practice.
HB 2093 prevents managed care organizations (MCOs) from unilaterally ending contracts with qualified nursing facilities in Tennessee's TennCare program, except under specific circumstances. The bill gives the TennCare bureau exclusive authority to decide if a nursing facility can be terminated from the program, not the MCOs. MCOs must report concerns about facilities to the bureau instead of acting alone, and must continue services during the bureau's review. This changes how MCOs manage nursing facility contracts, ensuring only the bureau can approve terminations.
SB 2181 requires Tennessee state and local governments to provide fully paid health insurance to the immediate family members (spouses and children, including unborn children) of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty or suffering a catastrophic injury (as defined in the bill) on or after January 1, 2020. It removes a previous two-year limit on coverage duration and mandates that the state reimburse local governments for the full cost of providing this insurance. The bill expands existing coverage to include officers with catastrophic injuries (e.g., paralysis, severe burns, or brain injuries meeting SSDI criteria) and applies to both state and local law enforcement officers. The law takes effect on July 1, 2026.
HB 2619 prohibits Tennessee health insurance companies from using "downcoding" to reduce payments to healthcare providers. Downcoding occurs when insurers adjust a claim to a lower-cost procedure code, preventing providers from collecting full fees for services rendered - either from the insurer or the patient. The bill creates the Tennessee Commission of Insurance Review to handle complaints and enforce this rule. It directly affects healthcare providers (like doctors and hospitals) and health insurance entities operating in Tennessee by requiring full payment for covered services as defined in the bill. The law amends Tennessee insurance codes to clarify these requirements and definitions.
This bill requires Tennessee pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) to reimburse pharmacies for prescription drugs at the highest of four specified amounts: the pharmacy's actual cost, 105% of the national drug cost average, the wholesale drug price, or the rate paid to their own affiliates. Pharmacies can appeal underpayments to the Department of Commerce and Insurance, and PBMs must pay double the owed amount if they fail to comply with the reimbursement minimums. The law directly affects independent pharmacies and PBMs by establishing enforceable payment standards and penalties for noncompliance, while prohibiting PBMs from deducting dispensing fees from reimbursements.
HB 2166 requires blood banks to follow a physician's order for a patient's own blood donation (autologous) or a donation specifically designated for that patient (directed). It also mandates hospitals to permit such donations for patients scheduled for medical procedures, unless medically unsafe or incompatible with safety standards. The bill allows facilities to charge reasonable administrative fees but explicitly states it does not override existing federal or state blood safety, testing, or compatibility requirements. This directly affects patients needing scheduled procedures, blood banks, and hospitals by streamlining access to pre-donated blood while maintaining all current safety protocols.
