Health News
- Sponsor Of Local Opt-out Amendment Says Smoking-ban Bill Needs It To Pass; Sponsor And House Leaders Don't Care For It
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News UPDATE: The House didn't vote on this amendment, but Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, says it or something like it would give the bill a better chance of passing the Republican-controlled Senate. FRANKFORT, Ky....
- Senate Oks Bill To Fund Pediatric Cancer And Autism Research
With the backing of Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, the U.S. Senate has passed a bill designed to assist in funding research of pediatric cancer and autism, funded by money now used to pay for presidential campaigns and party conventions. The proposed...
- Effort To Boost Oral Health In Nursing Homes Gets Tangled Up With Industry's Attempt To Insulate Itself From Lawsuits; Both Bills Die
A bill to get nursing-home residents better dental services "appears to be dead after the Senate added language from another bill designed to shield the nursing-home industry from litigation," Deborah Yetter reports for The Courier-Journal. House Bill...
- Anti-meth Bill Passes Senate; Limits Monthly Pseudoephedrine Purchases To 7.2 Grams A Month And 24 Grams A Year
In an effort to curb methamphetamine production, the Senate passed a bill Friday that will limit the amount of pseudoephedrine that can be bought monthly and annually. Senate Bill 3, approved 25-11, will allow consumers to buy 7.2 grams of medicine containing...
- Latest Developments In The Implementation Of An Illinois Health Benefits Exchange: Senate Bill 1313
Back in the spring, the Illinois General Assembly passed a bill enacting the intent to create a health benefits exchange, a state-wide marketplace called for by the federal Affordable Care Act that will act as a tool to aid consumers to shop for insurance....
Health News
Bill amendment could make dental, vision care more expensive
A last-minute amendment to a bill intended to limit when insurance companies could terminate policies may end up costing Kentuckians more out-of-pocket dental and vision expenses, Courier-Journal political writer Joseph Gerth writes in his weekly column.
The implications of House Bill 497 changed when Sen. Tom Buford, R-Nicholasville, "filed a one-paragraph amendment that was brought to him at the last minute by a lobbyist for the Kentucky Dental Association," Gerth writes. "That amendment said that if you have vision or vision insurance, your insurance provider can't require your health care provider to give you discounted rates on services that aren't paid for by the insurance plan."
That could mean that low-cost plans that only cover a few procedures but offer "added benefit by making sure you're not paying inflated prices for other services" may no longer be available, Gerth reports. Opponents say insurance companies will stop offering such plans because people won't buy them without the discounts. And people who can't afford more expensive plans will sacrifice dental and vision insurance.
On Tuesday, the Senate adopted the amendment and passed the bill. The bill cleared the House the next day. Gov. Steve Beshear has not indicated if he will sign or veto it.
Advocates say the bill will save in dental and vision care costs. Opponents say people will have difficulty having access to case. As for who's right, Gerth writes: "Bill advocates have presented no evidence to suggest that, and there have been no full-fledged hearings for the dentists behind the bill to make their case or to answer the questions that need to be asked." (Read more)
- Sponsor Of Local Opt-out Amendment Says Smoking-ban Bill Needs It To Pass; Sponsor And House Leaders Don't Care For It
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News UPDATE: The House didn't vote on this amendment, but Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, says it or something like it would give the bill a better chance of passing the Republican-controlled Senate. FRANKFORT, Ky....
- Senate Oks Bill To Fund Pediatric Cancer And Autism Research
With the backing of Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, the U.S. Senate has passed a bill designed to assist in funding research of pediatric cancer and autism, funded by money now used to pay for presidential campaigns and party conventions. The proposed...
- Effort To Boost Oral Health In Nursing Homes Gets Tangled Up With Industry's Attempt To Insulate Itself From Lawsuits; Both Bills Die
A bill to get nursing-home residents better dental services "appears to be dead after the Senate added language from another bill designed to shield the nursing-home industry from litigation," Deborah Yetter reports for The Courier-Journal. House Bill...
- Anti-meth Bill Passes Senate; Limits Monthly Pseudoephedrine Purchases To 7.2 Grams A Month And 24 Grams A Year
In an effort to curb methamphetamine production, the Senate passed a bill Friday that will limit the amount of pseudoephedrine that can be bought monthly and annually. Senate Bill 3, approved 25-11, will allow consumers to buy 7.2 grams of medicine containing...
- Latest Developments In The Implementation Of An Illinois Health Benefits Exchange: Senate Bill 1313
Back in the spring, the Illinois General Assembly passed a bill enacting the intent to create a health benefits exchange, a state-wide marketplace called for by the federal Affordable Care Act that will act as a tool to aid consumers to shop for insurance....