Health Committee advances wide slate of bills on insulin, PBM reform, maternal health and surveillance
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Summary
The House Health Committee passed more than a dozen health bills in a single session, including an insulin affordability framework, multiple pharmacy benefit manager reforms, and legislation to accept federal maternal‑health grant funds; most measures passed unanimously or by comfortable margins. A separate article covers SB 15‑03 in detail.
The House Health Committee met and advanced a broad set of health‑related bills, moving multiple items out of committee by voice or recorded vote.
Key measures that passed the committee included:
- House Bill 13‑44 (Representative Stinson): Establishes a framework allowing the state to support domestic development and manufacturing of low‑cost biosimilar insulin; sponsor said the measure "does not appropriate any money" and that the framework could guarantee insulin at about $30 per vial or $55 for prefilled pens. Committee recorded passage (6‑0).
- Senate Bill 13‑80 (Representative Stinson): Requires the Health Care Authority to verify Medicaid eligibility against death records to ensure deceased individuals are disenrolled; committee passed the bill (6‑0).
- Senate Bill 2,007 (Representative Stinson): Requires PBMs to reimburse pharmacists when reimbursement is below acquisition cost and creates escalating fines for noncompliance. The transcript records the vote as "60 ayes, 0 nay." (Transcript text shows this tally; the committee record otherwise uses 6‑member tallies on most items.)
- Senate Bill 15‑72 (Representative Stinson): Directs a feasibility study on dissolving portions of ODMH and folding services into other agencies; allows the health commissioner to serve dual roles during the study; passed (6‑0).
- SB 2,074 (Representative Zientson): Adds a dispensing fee at the Medicaid rate and strengthens pharmacists’ appeals processes with PBMs; passed (6‑0).
- SB 14‑23 and SB 14‑25 (Representative LePak): Eliminations of advisory councils and repeal of unused workforce program sections; SB 14‑23 passed 5‑1, SB 14‑25 passed 6‑0.
- SB 15‑02 and SB 15‑03 (Representative LePak): SB 15‑02 (Alzheimer/Dementia Disclosure Act advisory council elimination) passed 6‑0; SB 15‑03 (Choosing Childbirth Act amendment) passed 5‑2 (separate coverage available).
- SB 18‑33 (Representative Tammy West): Codifies a federal waiver restricting SNAP purchases of candy and soft drinks (waiver effective Feb. 15); passed (5‑1).
- HB 15‑61 (Representative Archer): Shifts EMS disciplinary standards to progressive discipline in Ouachita County; passed (6‑0).
- SB 15‑55 (Representative Pei): Revises the definition of intellectual disability to match the federal definition (DHS request); passed (6‑0).
- SB 20‑44 (Representative Turner) and SB 6‑67 (Representative Stark/other sponsor): Chiropractor licensing/training language cleanup bills and amendments passed with bipartisan agreement (majorities recorded 5‑1 or 6‑0 depending on the item).
- SB 14‑84, SB 15‑62 and SB 16‑44: Medical‑examiner reporting for infant/child death investigations, protections against hospice patient solicitation by other providers, and alpha‑gal reporting for potential federal research funds were each presented and passed (all recorded as unanimous 6‑0 votes in committee).
What the votes mean: most bills were passed out of committee with little floor debate in this session; several items were described as technical cleanups or as enabling the state to accept federal grants. Committee members occasionally pressed sponsors for follow‑up language to clarify reporting, in‑state spending and privacy protections.
Notable procedural/record issues: the transcript records one PBM bill vote as "60 ayes, 0 nay," which is inconsistent with the 6‑member tallies shown on other items in the same hearing; that discrepancy appears to be a transcription artifact and should be confirmed in the official committee record.
The committee adjourned after completing the agenda; bills that passed will move to further legislative processing in the House and, if scheduled, to floor consideration.
