[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6204672,"mediaKeyId","3778463-db1f68c54a194e6f2df5105adb2d72aa","parentId",3778463,"title","Committee reports House bills 4527 and 4528 to the House floor with recommendation","audioSeconds",1264,"startMs",167000,"endMs",1431000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3778463-db1f68c54a194e6f2df5105adb2d72aa&start=167&end=1431","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3778463-db1f68c54a194e6f2df5105adb2d72aa/thumbnail_167000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6204672/Michigan/Committee-reports-House-bills-4527-and-4528-to-the-House-floor-with-recommendation","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6204672-c98bc2bc3a3b3edd9f72afcf6dfe9fc6/orig.mp4?Expires=1775746786&Signature=GWIls1ksXEHMT8XENkG2F3gcgXsSbP9fD8pk6aXcISyHa87SsNrP90wlwq2OGkWkYzZXJj2NVjG3AI0N-1HFXCyITCIXI~S4See~8kQmgHQisPEaV2bkCFO0E~gSAI5vw2l6A85V4ibnZ52Bw6IATRsz1vdtBBrUOEl6LlVZfImHXMKArYgZCbXugaz6j9Dywu1xSbLhAhTEzsiAv609FNcl3Eg1GbS7-TxohEbxx3fnEJta-WH4K~G6~jnlKW9tOi6XXX7OYrC8-UQ3jarP3IzXGMBBQeuoUOIf2PLCdwT-U24jE1lKOCnzpi78vcErcVVTpJJhBq4tJ6R-DjGQbw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Michigan Legislature","date","2025-06-12T03:29:01.3Z","article","The House Health Policy Committee reported two measures to the floor on a unanimous vote.

Representative Schmaltz moved to adopt the minutes earlier and Representative Frisbie and Representative Tisdale made the motions to report. House Bill 45 27 was reported with recommendation as amended (new substitute) on a roll-call vote of 16 yeas, 0 nays, 0 passes. The clerk recorded ‘‘Mister chair, you have 16 yay, 0 nay, 0 pass. The motion prevails.’’

Representative Tisdale then moved to report House Bill 45 28 with recommendation as amended (new substitute); the committee again recorded a 16-0 roll call in favor. The committee chair announced both bills were reported with recommendation and amended as the new substitutes.

The transcript does not record the bills’ substantive provisions; the committee proceeded to later agenda items after the roll calls.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Health Policy - 6/11/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The House Health Policy Committee voted unanimously to report House Bill 4527 and House Bill 4528 to the floor with recommendation, each amended as a new substitute; roll calls in committee were 16-0 for both measures.","taxTitle","2025-2026 House Legislature MI, Michigan","taxId",77683,"location","Michigan","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6204677,"Committee hears competing views on bill to allow online prescription renewals for contacts and glasses",3793,1806000,5599000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3778463-db1f68c54a194e6f2df5105adb2d72aa&start=1806&end=5599","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3778463-db1f68c54a194e6f2df5105adb2d72aa/thumbnail_1806000.jpg","/articles/6204677/Michigan/Committee-hears-competing-views-on-bill-to-allow-online-prescription-renewals-for-contacts-and-glasses","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6204677-00b869bdcb38ec60fa2e872aa6150d9a/orig.mp4?Expires=1775746786&Signature=B0dnsf9u7rO-Jg4LTVz2RyB00Y6mLubBbboHYPkj1EPNvVvc~q40DETBUGfrgWmgFiv0NbVrzXhNCc46m1xq-NhN4Vhk6XmUUvCNgbe8s9sDPXMu~KrJ-n~Mpwyco6p97znfGOU7LEG-4Qetyd3o7J7eltJHVC9xCqqgzW2DiV5vdZfjOrHForkI57sjPTkDOj89MTAh4Je0DYep~Gljng5AX6nE3C0FjtveBuT0mBWJMidzvBg8VFa8DMNkVM8k5ExyLbqIfveqA02UaOwUMsv9IqLMHGS9x~J3ngNX7kzl-boMc9gi82uvML1cdsYi3g5NpIFIFSeKgPAMwa08yA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Health Policy Committee heard extensive pro and con testimony Tuesday on House Bill 45 58, a measure to allow online vision screenings and telemedicine renewals of existing eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions if the patient had an in-person visit within the previous two years.

Representative VanderWaal, the bill sponsor, said the legislation would let patients ‘‘renew their prescription, provided that they have received a valid prescription from an in person visit within the last 2 years’’ and that online renewals ‘‘maintain patient safety’’ while increasing convenience and lowering cost.

Supporters included David Gunther of the Mackinac Center, who said the law would expand consumer choice and reach patients in communities that lack local eye care; Jack Baum of Americans for Tax Reform, who described competition and choice benefits; and representatives of marketplace providers including a senior manager for 1-800 Contacts’ Express Exam service, who described automated health questionnaires, photos and remote acuity tests that feed a licensed physician’s review.

Eric Castaneda of 1-800 Contacts told the committee that ‘‘about 30 percent of patients who try for this type of system actually get screened out’’ and that a physician in the state reviews each renewal request and can refer patients for in-person care.

Opponents, led by physicians from the Michigan Optometric Association and Eye Care Partners, urged changes before passage. They said the bill’s draft changes the statutory definition of a ‘‘valid prescription’’ in a way that could permit online renewals to alter contact-lens parameters other than refractive power — including base curve, diameter and lens brand — and that such changes could harm patients because contact lenses are medical devices that must fit the cornea and allow oxygen exchange.

Doctor Whitney Genrich, vice president of the Michigan Optometric Association, told the committee the draft ‘‘creates 2 separate types of prescriptions’’ and recommended requiring online providers to obtain the patient’s existing prescription from the in-person provider rather than relying on patient-entered data.

Witnesses for eye-care providers cited the federal Fairness to Contact Lens Consumers Act and the FTC contact-lens rule, which require prescription verification for lens sellers, and asked that renewal software likewise be required to verify the previous prescription parameters rather than allowing a simple patient statement that an exam occurred within two years.

Representatives on the committee pressed witnesses about data on harms and the practical effect of verification requirements. The optometrists said large-scale, long-term outcome studies are scarce because the transition to online services is relatively recent and reporting is often ad hoc, though they said their associations and federal reporting mechanisms (FTC, FDA MedWatch) collect adverse reports.

Proponents argued that many other states allow online renewals, that the FDA has cleared some examination technologies, and that patient protections in HB 45 58 — including a required in-person exam at least every two years and physician review of online screenings — are sufficient. Opponents countered that the bill’s present language lacks guardrails to guarantee that an online renewal cannot change fit-related parameters without an in-person fitting.

No committee vote on HB 45 58 was recorded in the hearing transcript; committee members said they would continue to work with stakeholders on language changes and asked witnesses to provide draft statutory language and technical fixes.","Supporters told the House Health Policy Committee that online renewals will expand access and lower costs; optometrists and eye-care groups warned that current draft language lacks verification and could permit unsafe changes to contact lens prescriptions.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6204682,"Supporters tell committee reinstating interstate medical licensure compact will protect telehealth access",115,1488000,1603000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3778463-db1f68c54a194e6f2df5105adb2d72aa&start=1488&end=1603","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3778463-db1f68c54a194e6f2df5105adb2d72aa/thumbnail_1488000.jpg","/articles/6204682/Michigan/Supporters-tell-committee-reinstating-interstate-medical-licensure-compact-will-protect-telehealth-access","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6204682-019a083d16e8350b04f905eb5f671c7f/orig.mp4?Expires=1775746786&Signature=fjFXDkez5zOvkLVzMOZBK7PbgfCrNf4cHi9VBbvYH6GHwkeyQtqStAorNHgWAsME3Wf-G1lDXvjtLNnuzd9Ser73M0mxcnjpJfMTsbQuB-vRpf5LLFO9NwSDDLZQBoSAIxvp1hvjH~3pHAmanwi~9O8qn6PwaXTmgKNF2yAcJ7dfsck8fg~G-icFNuXNt57YH8sT2tmPDL-Q2gud9ZPVCtB7HY8D64bU8KuV8YDxzj3QyRwz8qB7U-PAp21tmDyITEb2Ms78825SVmojdG5tZ69DL6f4U4xkrNKHkZaQEeRccFYMOgyBlkdU24aoYF4Y6A118~~hehEOVlPjKE5SvA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Witnesses from the Michigan Health & Hospital Association told the House Health Policy Committee that Senate Bill 303 would restore Michigan’s participation in the interstate medical licensure compact and preserve physicians’ ability to obtain compact licensure.

Adam Carlson and Taylor Elpert said the compact currently includes 40 states and that about 3,500 Michigan physicians hold licensure through the compact; without action by the Legislature, those physicians’ ability to practice in compact states could be disrupted.

Elpert said the compact facilitates telehealth care across state lines and enables better disciplinary information sharing among states; she told the committee that losing compact status ‘‘potentially impacts [physicians’] ability to provide important necessary care, for patients through telehealth in rural communities and in communities serving residents of multiple states.’’

Representative Carter asked whether the compact’s lapse had already affected physicians; the witnesses said the compact creates a year-long administrative window after a state lapses and that no immediate disruption had yet been observed so long as the Legislature acts in a timely way.

Witnesses and committee members said they support the bill and urged its quick passage so that physicians whose licensure depends on the compact will not face delays or burdens that could reduce access to care in rural areas.","Michigan health leaders urged the House Health Policy Committee to pass Senate Bill 303 to rejoin the interstate medical licensure compact and avoid disruption to physicians and telehealth services.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6204687,"Legislature hears FSGS patients and researchers urge more screening and drug development",1105,231000,1336000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3778463-db1f68c54a194e6f2df5105adb2d72aa&start=231&end=1336","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3778463-db1f68c54a194e6f2df5105adb2d72aa/thumbnail_231000.jpg","/articles/6204687/Michigan/Legislature-hears-FSGS-patients-and-researchers-urge-more-screening-and-drug-development","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6204687-c6c6143b5d74dc296d7a69668cec8967/orig.mp4?Expires=1775746786&Signature=GlZHVs0gkktkQOaMzn4DGo6nhiCs3rWNHmLhTiqHFPMDTe4YzyfAox49jWk6p2DNpXzwnBo6aCJK9hS70rQy5mKEu1sPWFPJNk~qlloTBpDxirFPdEqMwlvFWjY6nJAx-OvGNMeRte-2yDDC3BXJ2WcZ1xsOrZR3gZcYJaRkAk~JPsZHgPxsQgTs1lfEVGEkJggDmFTQo-n07xADVgU88EbBfIV9Gs40zyRzfvZudttNTO3PiMu8aKpnvMEV8gA72LfYp4j4-91PSzdNdhkfR44hp29d-aA81u6KOgHi46v4odt-5RJse5k-5aVxgIY0BARRhN-ZBhAcAZZhfa1-Sg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Legislators heard personal testimony and scientific context Tuesday about focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, or FSGS, a rare kidney disease that can cause protein loss, swelling and progression to end-stage kidney disease.

Zubin Modi, a pediatric nephrologist and director of the Pediatric Nephrology Research Program at the University of Michigan, told the House Health Policy Committee that ‘‘there are currently no FDA approved therapies for this disease’’ and described the condition’s course and treatment limitations.

Modi said FSGS affects both children and adults, can lead to dialysis or transplantation, and in some patients recurs after transplant. He described efforts to improve early identification, to expand telehealth access for patients in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, and to develop regulatory trial endpoints to help drug sponsors pursue approvals.

Sashay Walker, the mother of a 17-year-old patient identified in testimony as Aiden, described a prolonged diagnostic odyssey and repeated transplants that failed because of disease recurrence. Walker said her son ‘‘has recurrent FSGS’’ and recounted that he was on dialysis at age 8, has had two transplants that failed, and has undergone dozens of procedures.

Aiden spoke directly to committee members and said, ‘‘My experience has been difficult’’ and, ‘‘if we could get a cure, that’d be great.’’ Representative members thanked the family for testifying and asked the panel about causes, prognosis and regulatory progress.

Modi told Representative Carter and other members that causes are incompletely understood, that some FSGS cases are secondary to infection or medication but many are idiopathic and immune-related, and that research collaborations plus FDA engagement on endpoints are creating a possible regulatory path for new therapies.

Committee members applauded the witnesses and expressed support for continued research and patient access to specialized care.

The committee did not take formal legislative action on FSGS during the testimony session.","A University of Michigan pediatric nephrologist and a mother and teen living with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis told the House Health Policy Committee about diagnostic delays, limited treatments and the need for research and telehealth access.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee reports House bills 4527 and 4528 to the House floor with recommendation

Committee hears competing views on bill to allow online prescription renewals for contacts and glasses

Supporters tell committee reinstating interstate medical licensure compact will protect telehealth access

Legislature hears FSGS patients and researchers urge more screening and drug development