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Oregon House passes prior‑authorization reforms to speed health care decisions and require electronic interface
Summary
House Bill 31 34 requires insurers to report prior‑authorization data, bars prior authorization for certain procedures discovered during surgery, and mandates use of a standardized prior‑authorization API; the House passed the measure unanimously in final reading.
The Oregon House passed House Bill 31 34, a package of changes intended to streamline prior authorization for health care. The bill requires insurers to publish annual prior‑authorization data for review by the Department of Consumer and Business Services, prohibits post‑operative denials in certain circumstances, and requires insurers to implement a standardized prior‑authorization application programming interface (API).
Sponsor Representative Nous told colleagues the bill “does 3 things” to improve prior authorization: require public reporting of prior‑authorization length and frequency; allow coverage for additional procedures identified during an approved surgery when medically necessary; and require insurers to adopt an electronic interface so providers can determine whether prior authorization is required and transmit requests and determinations electronically.
The bill instructs the Department of Consumer and Business Services to publish data the department already collects on prior‑authorization timing and outcomes. The floor debate noted federal standards and interoperability requirements; the bill references a prior‑authorization API described in federal rules (45 C.F.R. 156.223(b)) and anticipates federal implementation timelines.
Representative Dreisen praised the Health Care Committee’s work on the measure and urged an “I vote.” No floor amendments were proposed during third reading; the clerk announced that House Bill 31 34 had “received the constitutional majority” and was declared passed.
Key provisions discussed on the floor include: insurer reporting to the Department of Consumer and Business Services; allowing coverage for clinically necessary additional or related procedures identified during an authorized surgery when immediate action is required; and requiring insurers to implement an electronic prior‑authorization interface that connects to providers’ electronic health records and complies with federal standards. The sponsor said implementation will align with federal timelines and expected broader industry adoption.
The bill passed on final reading with unanimous or broad support on the House floor as recorded in the session transcript.
