Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority; administration of nursing scholarships. Grants the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority the authority to administer scholarships related to nursing and to promulgate regulations exempt from the requirements of the Administrative Process Act as may be necessary to carry out the administration of nursing scholarship and loan programs. Under current law, the Board of Health is the administrative authority for such scholarships and the Commissioner of Health serves as the fiscal agent for the Board in the administration of some scholarship funds. The bill directs the Authority to establish an annual reporting schedule requiring submission of health workforce data, requires the Authority to establish and provide oversight and strategic guidance to the Virginia Nursing Workforce Center, and grants the Authority the authority to evaluate health workforce programs administered or supported by the Commonwealth. The bill directs the Virginia Nursing Workforce Center to establish an advisory board to provide it with strategic oversight and guidance. This bill is identical to HB 815.
Health insurance; tobacco surcharge. Eliminates the authority of a health carrier to vary its premium rates based on tobacco use. Under current law, a health carrier may charge premium rates up to 1.5 times higher for a tobacco user than for a nonuser. The provisions of the bill apply to health benefit plans providing individual or small group health insurance coverage entered into, amended, extended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027. This bill is identical to HB 220.
Life insurance; health insurance; unfair discrimination; pre-exposure prophylaxis for prevention of human immunodeficiency virus. Prohibits any person from refusing to insure, refusing to continue to insure, or limiting the amount or extent of life insurance or accident and sickness insurance coverage available to an individual or charge an individual a different rate for the same coverage based solely on the status of such individual as having received pre-exposure prophylaxis for the prevention of human immunodeficiency virus.
Positive behavior support facilitators; scope of practice, supervision, and qualifications. Adds positive behavior support facilitators to the professions governed by the Board of Counseling. The bill establishes qualification, scope of practice, and supervision requirements and directs the Board of Counseling to adopt regulations governing positive behavior support facilitators. The bill also directs the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the Department of Medical Assistance Services to promulgate regulations that align with the regulations adopted by the Board of Counseling in accordance with the bill.
Health insurance; balance billing protection; emergency medical services vehicle transportation. Prohibits an out-of-network health insurance provider from balance billing any enrollee for transportation provided by an emergency medical services vehicle, defined in the bill as any vehicle, vessel, or aircraft that holds a valid permit issued by the Office of Emergency Medical Services and that is equipped, maintained, or operated to provide emergency medical care or transportation of patients who are sick, injured, wounded, or otherwise incapacitated or helpless.
Public institutions of higher education; financial assistance; Medical Education Service Grant Program established; report. Establishes the Medical Education Service Grant Program (the Program) for the purpose of providing grants to any person enrolled in or admitted to an eligible institution, as defined in the bill, that shall be awarded in whole or in part upon satisfactory completion of a service agreement entered into by a recipient to engage in clinical practice in a designated service area, as defined in the bill, for the requisite period and in accordance with the requirements set forth by the bill. The bill directs the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (the Council), in partnership with the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority (the Authority), to administer the Program. The bill also (i) establishes requirements for the administration of the Program, including (a) requirements for eligibility to apply to and receive a grant under the Program and the prioritization of Program applications and (b) terms and conditions governing the awarding of grants under the Program; (ii) directs the Council and the Authority to establish policies and procedures for the administration of the Program relating to monitoring and enforcing compliance of recipients with Program requirements and terms and conditions; and (iii) directs the program administrator to annually collect data on the activities of the Program for the preceding fiscal year and submit to the Governor and the Chairs of the House Committees on Education, Health and Human Services, and Appropriations and the Senate Committees on Education and Health and Finance and Appropriations a report on such data by January 1 of each year in which funds are made available for the Program.
Newborn screening requirements; Gaucher disease. Directs the Department of Health to amend regulations to include Gaucher disease under the Commonwealth's newborn screening panel.
Department of Medical Assistance Services; Medicaid estate recoveries. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services (the Department) to limit the operation of its estate recovery program to the recovery of only federally required costs. The bill directs the Department to make information on estate recovery available on its website in multiple languages. The bill directs the Department to adopt emergency regulations to implement the provisions of the bill.
Department of Medical Assistance Services; enhanced oversight of services facilitators. Directs the Department of Medical Assistance Services to enhance oversight of Medicaid services facilitation for consumer directed services, including incorporation of such services into the statewide Fiscal Employer Agent contract and development of a contract monitoring and oversight plan.
Administrative Process Act; exemptions; limitations; appeals of case decisions regarding benefits sought. Specifies that the Administrative Process Act applies to case decisions regarding the grant or denial, including determinations of eligibility and approved levels of service, of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, general relief, auxiliary grants, or state-local hospitalization. The bill also removes provisions limiting review of case decisions to ascertaining whether there was evidence in the agency record to support the case decision of the agency.
