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Senate debates licensing for respiratory therapists; proponents and opponents clash on costs and safety
Summary
Substitute Senate Bill 87 would establish licensure for respiratory care practitioners. Supporters said the substitute addresses prior concerns and protects patients in non-hospital settings; opponents, including senators citing hospital letters, argued licensure could restrict entry and raise costs for providers and patients.
Substitute Senate Bill 87, which would create licensure for respiratory care practitioners, drew a measured but substantive debate on the floor.
Senator Carney introduced the substitute and noted the measure had a full committee hearing and that amendments were intended to address prior objections. Carney emphasized the bill's intent to regulate practice outside traditional hospital settings where home care and other services increasingly occur.
Senator Barton opposed mandatory licensure, reading letters from two medium-sized hospitals that argued new licensure would restrict entry, increase costs and be driven by occupational interest rather than public demand. Barton argued that certification managed by hospitals had been sufficient in many settings and warned that mandated licensure would raise health-care and insurance costs.
Proponents countered that the substitute contained amendments removing certain problematic provisions (for example, restrictions on third-party payments) and that increased regulatory standards are necessary to ensure safe practice when care moves into homes and non-hospital settings. After debate the chamber called the question; the clerk recorded totals and the bill was to be referred to the House per the clerk's announcement.
Ending: The Senate concluded floor debate on the substitute and the clerk recorded the bill's disposition; the transcript records the distribution of hospital letters and the back-and-forth between floor proponents and opponents.
