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Issue Brief - Updated 4/11/2008
Health Insurance Co-payment Bills Pass in House and Senate
Lt. Gov. Roberts Hosting Community Meetings on the Healthy Rhode Island Reform Act of 2008
Several Health Care Reform Proposals Under Review in the RI General Assembly
Healthy Rhode Island Reform Act of 2008
Rhode Island Health Information Exchange Act of 2008
Health Insurance Premium Increase Cap
Mandated Health Benefits Review
Funding for Coordinated Health Planning
Fair Share Health Care Fund
Infertility Coverage
Acupuncture Coverage
Cochlear Implant Coverage
This Issue Brief available for download
in PDF format.
Federal Legislative Issues - Updated 4/2008
U. S. House of Representatives Passes Mental Health Parity Act
On March 6, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1424, the "Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007," by a vote of 268-148. The bill, sponsored by Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN), expands the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 to establish parity (treatment and financial requirements) between coverage for mental illnesses and substance abuse and medical/surgical benefits. Last year, the Senate unanimously passed a less onerous mental health parity bill, S. 558 by Senators Kennedy (D-MA) and Enzi (R-WY), is strongly supported by SHRM, as well as major health plan providers, employers, and the mental health community. Now, the House and Senate will work on merging their respective bills and produce a single, compromise mental health parity bill.
Rhode Island Legislative Issues - Updated 2/15/2008
Health Care Legislation Introduced in the RI General Assembly
Lt. Governor Roberts’ Healthy Rhode Island Reform Act of 2008
Fair Share Health Care Fund (H. 7181)
Mandated Health Benefits Proposals Include
Mandated Health Benefits Review
Funding for Coordinated Health Planning
Rhode Island Health Information Exchange Act of 2008
Confidentiality of Health Care Communications and Information Act
Patient Safety
Health Insurance Co-payments
Health Insurance Premium Increase Cap
This Issue Brief available for download
in PDF format.
2008 RI General Assembly Session Opens on January 1
January 3, 2008
Senate President Joseph A. Montalbano and Speaker of the House William J. Murphy both highlighted in their opening remarks on January 1 the state budget deficit and the need for the Senate, House, Governor Carcieri and his administration to work together to face the challenges facing Rhode Island. Senate President Montalbano, in his remarks to the Senate, indicated his leadership team would strive to keep the lines of communication open as they work towards passage of a supplemental budget early in the session, to achieve some savings this year, and as they work on longer-term efficiencies to be implemented in the 2009 budget year. House Speaker Murphy, in his remarks to the 75 members of the House, indicated that the state budget problem did not occur overnight and that rather than casting blame, the legislature should work with the Governor and with the Senate to find solutions and to address this challenge in a positive manner. In addition to the budget deficit, some of the issues that are likely to be a focus in this legislative session are the high cost of energy and renewable energy initiatives, housing, health care and immigration
 Rhode Island’s Attorney General and Director of Health Release Merger Application to Lifespan and Care New England
December 21, 2007
Subsequent to the December 17, 2007 announcement of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) ruling on the proposed merger of Lifespan and Care New England, the Department of the Attorney General (AG) and the Department of Health (HEALTH) announced on December 21 that they have released the application form to Lifespan and Care New England to use when they apply for their merger. Further information about the application and review process is contained in the press release on the HEALTH website.
RI General Assembly News
House Finance Committee Chair Steven M. Costantino unveils bill to create new health and human service agency, eliminate five separate departments
December 12, 2007
In a recent press release from the State House, House Finance Committee Chairman Steven M. Costantino announced legislation he will file to eliminate the state’s five human service departments and create a single, new agency, saying centralization would provide more efficient and coordinated care. The bill, which he will file for the 2008 legislative session that begins January 1, 2008, would take the Office of Health and Human Services to the next level, eliminating the Department of Children, Youth and Families; the Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals; the Department of Health; the Department of Human Services; and the Department of Elderly Affairs. The functional reorganization would take effect Oct. 1, 2008.
The elimination would help the state provide a continuum of care to its citizens, who now deal with separate agencies depending on their age and what type of help they need from the state, said Chairman Costantino (D-Dist. 8, Providence).
“Right now, Rhode Island serves children and families through DCYF, people with mental health issues through MHRH, and elders through the Department of Elderly Affairs. Our health care infrastructure operates on a micro level, with small, independent organizations doing the best they can to help underserved Rhode Islanders deal with health issues. The result is low operational efficiency, more barriers to information sharing, higher costs, and greater risk that some critical department, in a tight budgeting year, will be cut into functional oblivion,” said Chairman Costantino.
Under the bill, the Office of Health and Human Services would include six divisions: children and family services, behavioral health, developmental disabilities, public health, veterans’ affairs and elderly and long-term care. The office would be headed by the Secretary of Human Services.
One of the advantages of centralizing the state’s health and human services, according to Chairman Costantino, is that information and records would be shared among the divisions, making for a more seamless experience for Rhode Island families who deal with more than one element of human services. He said the result would be a more “client-centered” approach to human services, one that would “work with clients from birth to death, and not just within certain age groups.” Chairman Costantino consulted with health care providers in developing the legislation.
Additionally, the change would result in cost savings for the state, since administrative functions would be consolidated and health and human services would be better coordinated. The Office of Health and Human Services would centralize fiscal service functions, legal services, human resources and development, purchasing, communications, policy analysis and planning, licensure and regulation, information systems and data management, support services and administration of the Medicaid program would each be performed by one department-wide office instead of five separate offices, each with its own staff.
Rhode Island Legislative Issues - Updated 12/3/2007
Health-care Legislative Actions by the RI General Assembly on October 30, 2007
Proposed Lifespan/Care New England Merger Under Review
Lt. Governor Roberts Launches Mission: Healthy RI Advisory Work Group
This Issue Brief available for download
in PDF format.
Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner Issues Report on Rhode Island's Uninsured
September 12, 2007
An Analysis of Rhode Island’s Uninsured: Trends, Demographics, and Regional and National Comparisons examines the basic characteristics of Rhode Island’s uninsured population and compares the Rhode Island case to the region and nation as a whole. It relies upon a variety of available data sources, including the Current Population Survey (CPS), the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) and the Rhode Island Health Interview Study (RI HIS).
Click for full report with executive summary
Click for report overview
Rhode Island Legislative Issues - Updated 7/11/2007
RI General Assembly Concludes 2007 Session with the Passage of Several Healthcare-Related Bills
Several healthcare-related bills were approved by the RI General Assembly
during the last couple of weeks of the 2007 legislative session, including
those listed below. This update is also available for download
in PDF format.
For further information on any of the legislative
bills highlighted below, please click on the bill number to
link to the full text of the bill. Send us your opinions
or comments on any of the bills listed below by clicking on
the feedback link for that bill.
Employer-Sponsored Cafeteria Plans
Senate bill
2007 – S0448A and
the House version
2007 – H6137A would
require that employers with more than 25 employees adopt and maintain a cafeteria
plan that satisfies 26 U.S.C. 125. Governor Carcieri signed the Senate bill,
sponsored by Sen. Rhoda E. Perry (D-Providence), into law the end of June.
The companion bill, by Rep. Eileen S. Naughton (D-Warwick), was
transmitted to the governor and is awaiting his action.
The new law does not require employers to start offering the
plans until 2009, and the state Department of Labor and Training has yet to
issue regulations that spell out what companies must do to comply. Send
us your feedback
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Insurance Coverage for Cervical Cancer Vaccine
House bill 2007 – H5061A requiring
insurance coverage for the cervical cancer vaccine was transmitted to
the governor for signature on June 29. Send
us your feedback
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to top
Infertility Treatment
Senate bill (2007
- S0453A) and the House version (2007
- H5251A) that would increase the age cut-off for insurance coverage
of diagnoses and treatment of infertility for women from age 40 to
age 42. The Senate bill was transmitted to the governor for signature
on June 28.
While this legislation would redefine the term "infertility" to
mean a woman who is unable to sustain a pregnancy
during a period of one year, instead of the current
two years, it does not make any substantive changes to current state
law which provides diagnosis and treatment coverage. For instance,
coverage for infertility treatments may still begin for a woman at
the age of 25, and the coverage is still limited to a lifetime cap
of $100,000.
Rhode Island had been one of a small handful
of states that mandated health insurance coverage
for infertility, but it allowed for benefits
with virtually no limitations. That changed as
a result of legislation passed as a budget article
last year. This year’s bill
reworks some of those changes based on concerns
expressed by physicians.
The age cut-off at 42 was chosen specifically
as a result of information provided by a number
of reproductive specialists that age cut-off
limits make sense, given the reasonable pregnancy
rates in women in their early 40s, when fertility
begins to decline significantly. Send
us your feedback
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Health Insurance Deductibles and Copayments
Senate bill 2007 – S0595A and
House version 2007 – 5912A which
would require that deductibles, copayments, and other forms of patient
financial responsibility for hospital services be collected by insurers,
was passed and transmitted to the governor on June 28. On July 2, both
bills were vetoed by the governor.
Send
us your feedback
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Orthotic and Prosthetic Services
Senate bill 2007 – 445A and
House version 2007-5200A,
which would require health maintenance organizations' policies
to provide orthotic and prosthetic services at a reimbursement rate equal
to those provided under federal laws for aged and disabled
persons, was passed and transmitted to the governor on June 6. On June
14, this legislation became effective without the Governor's signature.
Send us your feedback
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RI Coordinated Health Planning Act
Senate bill 2007 – S0648A and
House version 2007 – H6125A,
which would amend the RI Coordinated Health Planning Act of
2006 by established a health care planning council, including
its powers and funding, were passed and transmitted to the
governor for signature. Both bills did not provide for funding
but stipulated that the "RI Department
of Health could apply for private and/or public funding to
carry out the requirements of the act." On June 23, both bills
were vetoed by the governor. Send
us your feedback
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Small Employer Health Insurance
House bill 2007 – 6054 was
passed, as amended, and was signed into law by Governor Carcieri
on July 3. This legislation authorizes small employer health insurers
to sell low-cost basic health benefit plans to small employers on a pilot
program basis.
Send
us your feedback
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If you missed our April Legislative Update, it is still available in our Legislative Archives as a
download in PDF format.
Rhode Island Bill-Tracking Lists - Updated
7/6/2007
 Click
here for list of pending healthcare-related bills in the RI House
(PDF)
Click
here for list of pending healthcare-related bills in the RI Senate
(PDF)
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Federal Legislative Issues - Updated
4/20/2007
Healthy Families Act (Mandated Paid Leave)
Introduced on March 15
On March 15, 2007, Senator Edward Kennedy (MA) introduced
the Healthy Families Act --
S. 910 -- in the U.S.
Senate. The bill was referred to
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions. A comparable
House bill -- H.1542
-- was also introduced on March 15
by Rep. Rosa DeLauro
(CT) and referred to the Committee on Education and Labor and to the
Committees on Oversight and Government Reform and House Administration,
for consideration of such provisions of the bill as falls within the
jurisdiction of the committee.
The Healthy Families Act would require employers to provide paid sick leave
to full- and part-time employees for their own health needs or the health
needs of certain family members. Provisions of the bills include the following:
- Applies to employers with 15 or more employees working 20 or more work weeks
in the current or preceding year.
- Provides up to seven days of paid leave for full-time employees working
more
than 30 hours per week; part-time employees working less than 30 but
at least 20 hours per week on a year-round basis, or less than 1,500 but
at least 1,000 hours throughout the year, receive a pro rata share of paid
leave.
- Paid sick leave shall accrue as determined appropriate by the employer
but
not on less than a quarterly basis,
and accrued sick leave may shall carry over
from year to year.
- Leave may be used on an hour-by-hour basis or in the smallest increment
that
the employer's payroll system uses to account for absences of use of leave.
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House Hearing on
Genetic Nondiscrimination Bill
On March 8, the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce
Committee held a second hearing on
H.R.
493, the Genetic Non-Discrimination Information Act. This
bill would:
- Limit the definition of "family member" to those related
by blood within four generations.
- Allow employers to keep genetic and medical records together. The original version
of H.R. 493 would have unnecessarily forced employers to establish a separate standard for genetic information recordkeeping.
- Clarify that group health care plans would not be required to offer coverage for all genetic disorders.
- H.R. 493 may be considered by the whole House within the next couple of weeks.
The Energy and Commerce Committee focused on the privacy aspects of
the bill and its interplay with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
of 1996, otherwise
known as HIPAA. Unlike HIPAA privacy regulations, there is no general
exception in this bill for disclosures for treatment; for disclosures to treating
physicians, to unfolding police investigations, to identify a victim of a crime
or a criminal, to government officials investigat-
ing something other than compliance
with this law, even to litigation counsel.
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RIBGH 2007 Legislative Agenda
The Rhode Island Business Group on Health is interested in proactively
influencing and providing a business community voice in the shaping of Rhode
Island healthcare policy, regulation, and legislation that promotes health care
accessibility, affordability and quality.
In 2007, RIBGH will continue to focus
on the need to drive greater quality and efficiency in
our health care system
as a way to reduce costs and ultimately make insurance more accessible.
Priorities for 2007 will focus on:
Health Care Transparency: RIBGH supports greater health
care transparency; including proposals to establish a statewide
health information network and the ability for access to electronic medical
records, which can improve patient outcomes and coordination
of care and reduce duplication and inefficiencies in the system, all
of which can significantly reduce health care costs for both purchasers
and consumers.
Health Care Technology: RIBGH supports
policies that promote both public and private investments
in the resources, standards, and technology needed to create an effective
information network
Mandated Health Benefits: RIBGH opposes additional
mandated benefits and will seek to ensure that a moratorium on any new
mandated benefits is established by the General Assembly.
Universal Health Care: RIBGH will proactively develop
a position on universal health care and provide the business perspective
on any proposed universal health care proposal
Coordinated Health Care Planning: RIBGH supports coordinated
health care planning to address the problem of the uninsured in Rhode
Island and improve health care quality, which requires the careful coordination
of all stakeholders and a model that has built-in incentives to balance
both quality and cost efficiencies
Coalition Efforts: RIBGH supports the formation of
a broader coalition of business and association groups in RI to have
more impact on health care reform
Download
RIBGH 2007 Legislative Agenda as a PDF
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