House passes bills on deductible crediting, newborn screening, nursing and pharmacy updates; naturopathic oversight bill sent back to committee

SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon House of Representatives on March 17 approved multiple bills on third reading affecting health care costs, newborn screening, nursing practice and pharmacy oversight, and sent a bill expanding oversight of naturopathic practice back to committee for additional work.

House Bill 25 40 A, a measure on deductible crediting, passed on final passage. Sponsor Representative Deal said the bill would allow insured patients to use a lower cash price for a medically necessary, covered service to count toward their insurance deductible. “If an insured patient finds a cash pay price for a procedure that is cheaper than what their in network providers are charging, their insurance company must apply that expense toward the patient's deductible,” Representative Deal said on the floor. The representative cited Oregon Health Authority figures about average deductibles and offered an example in which a cash colonoscopy price of $541 would yield a substantial saving compared with an insurer’s negotiated rate of about $2,400.

House Bill 27 41, which creates a newborn blood spot screening follow‑up program, also passed. Representative Nelsonsen, sponsor of the bill, said the measure directs the Oregon Health Authority to expand education, follow‑up care and long‑term support for families after a newborn screening diagnosis. “This bill is a safeguard. It creates a newborn blood spot screening program to ensure that when a child is diagnosed through newborn screening, support doesn't end with the test results,” Nelsonsen said.

House Bill 30 44 A, updating the Nurse Practice Act to modernize definitions and administrative processes, passed with its sponsor, Representative Munoz, saying the measure would remove outdated statutory language and has no fiscal impact. House Bill 30 45, making technical updates to the State Board of Pharmacy statutes and authorizing the board to require evaluations when there are objective, reasonable grounds, passed as well; Representative Noss framed it as a measure to protect patient safety while providing due‑process protections for practitioners.

House Bill 31 15 A, addressing the purchase and claiming of winning lottery tickets and related tax treatment, passed. Representative Lively said the bill forbids the sale, purchase or claiming of winning tickets for compensation and exempts winners' names and addresses from public disclosure unless the winner authorizes release; the measure takes effect on the 91st day after adjournment.

A contested measure, House Bill 30 42, which would have expanded investigatory and evaluation authority for the Oregon Board of Naturopathic Medicine, drew extended debate and multiple floor objections. Representative Noss moved that the bill be re‑referred to the Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care, saying the floor debate had revealed “some concerns and maybe some misperceptions about the bill and what it does.” The motion carried and the bill was re‑referred to committee.

Votes at final reading were recorded on the floor as having received the constitutional majority for passage where noted in the transcript. For several bills the clerk declared that each had “received the constitutional majority and is declared passed.” Individual roll call votes were called for on the floor record for some measures (for example, Representative Sanchez’s recorded vote on HB 25 40 A and Representative McIntyre’s recorded no on HB 30 45 appear in the transcript), but full tallies by member are not printed in the transcript excerpt.

Why this matters: The package includes a consumer‑facing health measure (deductible crediting) that alters how out‑of‑pocket payments count toward deductibles; a newborn screening follow‑up measure that expands OHA responsibilities; regulatory updates for nursing and pharmacy boards; and a change to lottery claim rules intended to address ticket resale and tax reporting.

Background and next steps: Passed bills will proceed as required by the legislative process toward enrollment and transmittal to the governor; HB 30 42 will return to the behavioral health committee for further work.

Votes at a glance (as recorded on the floor transcript): • House Bill 25 40 A (deductible crediting) — Sponsor: Representative Deal — Outcome: declared passed (received constitutional majority). Representative Sanchez recorded an “aye” on the roll call noted in the transcript. • House Bill 27 41 (newborn blood spot follow‑up program) — Sponsor: Representative Nelsonsen — Outcome: declared passed (received constitutional majority). • House Bill 30 42 (Oregon Board of Naturopathic Medicine oversight) — Sponsor: Representative Noss — Outcome: re‑referred to Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care (motion carried). • House Bill 30 44 A (Nurse Practice Act updates) — Sponsor: Representative Munoz — Outcome: declared passed (received constitutional majority). Sponsor stated the bill has no fiscal impact. • House Bill 30 45 (State Board of Pharmacy technical updates and evaluation authority) — Sponsor: Representative Noss — Outcome: declared passed (received constitutional majority). Representative McIntyre’s “no” was recorded in the floor exchange; Representative Breeze Iverson later was permitted to change her vote but the clerk noted it did not change the outcome. • House Bill 31 15 A (state lottery ticket sale/claim restrictions; tax treatment; privacy for winners) — Sponsor: Representative Lively — Outcome: declared passed (received constitutional majority). Effective date: 91st day following adjournment.

Ending: Sponsors and committee staff will manage enrollment and any committee follow‑up; HB 30 42 will be considered again in committee before returning to the floor.