The legislature\u00a0commenced this year\u2019s legislative session<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Jan. 17th\u00a0and health committees are slated to hold their first hearings on bills this week. Reporter Boram Kim has been monitoring health-related bills as they\u2019re introduced and advanced, and we will continue to provide updates on key bills as the session continues.<\/p>\n Thanks for reading!<\/p>\n Eli Kirshbaum<\/strong> \u00a0<\/p>\n Republican Rep. Norm Thurston recently\u00a0spoke with State of Reform<\/a>\u00a0about his healthcare-related priorities this year, which include increasing care access for disabled Utahns and\u00a0allowing providers in other states<\/a>\u00a0to conduct telehealth visits in Utah.\u00a0\u201cWith the rapid uptick in the use of telehealth, we\u2019ve got ourselves into a bad spot because [with] telehealth providers, you have to be licensed in the location where the patient is located,\u201d Thurston said regarding\u00a0the latter effort.<\/p>\n We also\u00a0caught up with Democratic Rep. Rosemary Lesser<\/a>, who plans to pursue legislation that raises Utah\u2019s Medicaid eligibility threshold from 133% FPL or below to the national median of 200% or below. The\u00a0House Health and Human Services Committee member also wants to join the\u00a028\u00a0states<\/a>\u00a0who have implemented 12-month\u00a0Medicaid postpartum coverage, something Gov. Cox\u00a0calls for in his budget<\/a>\u00a0and that\u00a0federal health policy guidance encourages<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n After the introduction of\u00a0HB 132<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0SB 16<\/a>\u00a0earlier this month, the majority of senators affirmed their support for the Senate version of an initiative to ban gender-affirming care for minors. Senators voted 21-7 in favor of SB 16 last week. The bill\u2014the\u00a0continuation of a long-term effort<\/a>\u00a0for Utah Republicans\u2014would prohibit transgender surgery, place a moratorium on puberty blockers, and prevent individuals over 25 from filing claims of negligence against their providers.<\/p>\n Proponents of the legislation argue<\/a>\u00a0that minors\u2019 brains aren\u2019t developed enough to make responsible, life-altering decisions like this. \u201cThe future of our state, nation, and world depends on the young ones that we as legislators and as a public are privileged to serve,\u201d\u00a0bill sponsor Sen. Michael Kennedy said. Opponents maintain that these services are essential for youth who identify as transgender, and that prohibiting them negatively impacts these individuals\u2019 mental health and has been associated with\u00a0increases in suicidality<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In\u00a0this edition of our \u201cWhat They\u2019re Watching\u201d series<\/a>, Peter Weir, MD, executive director of population health at University of Utah Health, says one of his top priorities is integrating behavioral and physical health. He says the separation of the two critical areas of healthcare is \u201cartificial.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs a doctor taking care of patients, when those things are split up, it also splits up people\u2019s care. And when you also fracture people\u2019s care, it usually means poorer outcomes.\u201d The passage of\u00a0House Bill 413<\/a>\u00a0last year created a workgroup tasked with, among other things, identifying ways to integrate behavioral health services into Medicaid programs.\u00a0The workgroup includes various influential health leaders<\/a>\u00a0in the state and is scheduled to have their next meeting on Feb. 3rd.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The abundant\u00a0behavioral health efforts on deck<\/a>\u00a0in the legislature include bills to require\u00a0health plans to\u00a0cover out-of-network mental health services<\/a>\u00a0and to ensure plans that opt out of the\u00a0Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act<\/a>\u00a0still cover critical BH services.\u00a0HB 66<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0HB 29\u00a0<\/a>would\u00a0expand the state\u2019s mobile crisis response teams. Lawmakers have also introduced bills to ease\u00a0cross-state telehealth restrictions<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0licensing requirements<\/a>\u00a0for BH providers<\/p>\n The School Mental Health Collaborative, led by Aaron Fischer, PhD, has been involved in the development of a lot of the upcoming mental health legislation. \u201cA\u00a0lot of what we\u2019re doing through this project is really trying to utilize a telehealth framework to the extent possible, and really create opportunities for professional learning and community connection,\u201d Fischer\u00a0told State of Reform<\/a>. Rep. Lesser also told State of Reform the legislature is looking to use omnibus funding to expand the number of mental health providers in schools.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n With the recent news from Washington DC that states can begin re-determining Medicaid eligibility starting April 1st, up to\u00a0200,000 Utahns<\/a>\u00a0stand to lose their coverage in the near future due to updated income restrictions. Enrollment grew by 60% during the pandemic because of the temporary eligibility flexibility that soon will be decoupled from the Public Health Emergency.<\/p>\n The Utah Department of Health and Human Services\u00a0says they will begin<\/a>\u00a0the eligibility review process on March 1st. Leaders\u00a0have been working for months<\/a>\u00a0to prepare the state for the imminent changes in coverage and help connect individuals at risk of losing coverage with alternatives.\u00a0\u201cHaving a clear end date of continuous eligibility and enrollment has given the state certainty in order to implement the plan to wind down this requirement,\u201d DHHS said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
State of Reform\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/stateofreform.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Mail-Chimp-Blue-Header-3.png\")
<\/p>\n1. Lawmakers discuss their health-related legislation<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n2. Trans healthcare prohibition swiftly progresses\u00a0through legislature<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n3. What They\u2019re Watching: Peter\u00a0Weir, MD, University of Utah Health<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n4. Behavioral health in the legislature<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n5. DHHS continues to prepare for Medicaid redeterminations in light of new guidance<\/h2>\n