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House approves amendment clarifying insurers’ obligations and expands naturopathic prescriptive authority
Summary
HB108, as amended, clarifies insurers are not required to cover hormone replacement and allows naturopathic physicians to prescribe hormones; supporters said Utah naturopaths receive extensive training and residency requirements that support safe practice; the House passed the bill 67–6.
The Utah House amended and passed HB108 on Feb. 10 to clarify that health insurers are not mandated to pay for hormone-replacement therapy prescribed by naturopathic physicians and to expand prescriptive authority for naturopaths.
Representative Douglas Agard, sponsor of the bill, moved Amendment No. 1 to make explicit that insurers ‘‘have no obligation’’ to pay for hormone replacement following a prescription. Agard described the core purpose as fixing a gap that required patients to see another doctor to obtain prescriptions after diagnosis by a naturopath.
On training, Agard said naturopathic physicians in Utah complete a nine-year pathway—‘‘4 years undergraduate, 4 years of naturopathic medical school, and 1 year of residency’’—and noted Utah requires a residency, which he argued yields the state’s best-trained naturopaths. Members asked whether other states permit similar prescribing; the sponsor named Arizona, Oregon, Washington and Vermont as states where naturopaths prescribe testosterone, and members reported no known systemic problems in those states.
Supporters in committee and on the floor described the change as aligning practice authority with training; critics asked about safety and monitoring. After floor debate and adoption of the amendment, the House passed HB108 as amended by a 67–6 vote. The bill will be transmitted to the Senate.
