Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Healthcare Prior Authorization topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee approves amendment and advances bill to study prior authorization changes
Summary
Senate Study Bill 10 16, addressing prior authorization in health care, passed an amendment to collect data; the bill as amended advanced from committee for further consideration.
Senator Klimesh opened discussion on Senate Study Bill 10 16 and said there is a "strike after amendment"; the committee considered and approved the amendment before advancing the bill.
Why it matters: The legislation concerns prior authorization practices affecting health-care providers and patients. Supporters said the amendment focuses on data-gathering to better understand impacts before adopting broader regulatory changes.
What happened in committee: Klimesh introduced an amendment described in committee as an authorization change affecting providers statewide. Senator Jerome Garrett said he appreciated aspects of the amendment but asked to hear public testimony on how changes would affect stakeholders: "I do want to hear from the public, when we make changes throughout this process, how it will impact or change the, the potential of this legislation." Senator Klimesh said she conferred with officials in Texas about a so-called "gold card" standard and concluded that it had not met all goals in that state; she said the committee "decided to pivot back, find a way to gather data to see what our next move could be." Senator Tom Garrett said the information-gathering piece would help the body "understand better what's going on in Iowa." The amendment was moved and approved, and the committee subsequently moved the bill as amended.
Next steps: Senator Klimesh moved the amendment and later moved the bill as amended; the committee approved the bill as amended and the chair announced it will go to the calendar as a committee bill under Rule 40.
Ending note: Committee members emphasized additional public input and data collection as the preferred next steps before potential statutory changes on prior authorization.
