Latest news with #Bill264
Miami Herald
25-06-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
Florida must end Medicaid delays for schizophrenia treatment
As a longtime advocate for mental health, working alongside other parents and peers, I've heard far too many stories from patients and families whose lives have been upended by schizophrenia. I've also seen the impact of this condition in my personal life — my son has schizophrenia. As an advocate and a mother, I find it disturbing how often access to the most effective treatment is delayed because Florida's Medicaid program forces patients to fail on alternative medications through a policy known as step therapy. Step therapy is a method of mental health treatment that requires a patient to try a series of treatments, typically starting with the least expensive and least invasive options, before moving on to more intensive treatments if necessary. The approach is commonly used in insurance-covered mental health treatments. This trial-and-error process can require patients to try up to three different medications, taking months. For someone living with schizophrenia, that kind of delay can mean the difference between stability and crisis. Schizophrenia is not a condition where 'trial and error' works well. Delayed treatment or ineffective medications can lead to hospitalization, incarceration or even homelessness. Every day without the right treatment increases the risk of irreversible harm. Yet Florida's current policies ignore clinical judgment and prioritize potential cost savings over patient safety. During the last legislative session, Senate Bill 264, which would have ended step therapy protocols, died in committee. Fortunately, Florida's Medicaid Pharmaceutical & Therapeutics Committee has an opportunity to update these rules during its virtual meeting on June 27. The committee is responsible for developing and implementing a Medicaid preferred drug list, as mandated by the Florida Legislature in 2000. This update is urgently needed. In my case, it's personal. I've worked directly with individuals living with serious mental illness, and I've also walked this journey with my son. I see how step therapy frustrates providers trying to do what's best for their patients. Psychiatrists are forced to prescribe medications they know won't work — or that have already failed a patient — just to meet step therapy requirements. Even new and innovative treatments with fewer side effects are often out of reach due to this outdated policy. I hope the committee will consider the harmful impact these requirements have on Floridians and make the decision to put patients first by removing step therapy for medications that treat schizophrenia. If Florida's leaders are serious about addressing mental health in our state, this is a crucial step. With better access to the right treatments, we'll see fewer hospitalizations, better health outcomes—and cost savings for the state. Florida must give people living with schizophrenia a fighting chance, starting by ensuring they get the care they need, when they need it. Marilyn Ricci is a family advocate, a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Palm Beach and a former president of NAMI's national organization. Those interested can watch the virtual meeting here starting at 8:30 a.m. Friday
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Landry threatens special session over failed prescription drug prices bill
A pharmacy technician fills a container with pills to put into a drug dispensing machine for an automated line at a pharmacy in Midvale, Utah. () A low heat that's simmered for weeks over an attempt to lower prescription drug prices in Louisiana increased to a boil Thursday in the waning hours of the state legislative session, with Gov. Jeff Landry saying he will bring lawmakers back to Baton Rouge to address prescription drug policy. The eight-week regular session ended with lawmakers backing the less stringent of two measures aimed at regulating pharmacy benefit managers, often referred to as PBMs or 'middlemen' that oversee prescription drug programs for insurance companies and large employers. PBMs have faced increasing criticism from patient advocate groups who blame them for high medication prices, while independent drugstore owners say they unfairly favor large corporate pharmacies. Some of the country's largest pharmacy chains, including CVS, also operate a PBM, which critics have said leads fewer pharmacy and medication options for consumers. Landry wanted lawmakers to pass a more aggressive bill that would have prohibited companies from owning drug stores and pharmacy benefit managers, which would have threatened companies such as CVS who own both. The Senate declined to bring House Bill 358, by Rep. Dustin Miller, D-Opelousas, up for a final vote, however, allowing it to die before the legislative session ended. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Instead, the legislature passed what had been seen as a compromise between the corporate chains and independent pharmacists in House Bill 264, by Rep. Mike Echols, R-Monroe. The bill requires PBMs to be more transparent about their practices with state regulators and to pass more prescription savings on to consumers. The Senate also hastily drafted and approved a resolution instructing the Louisiana Department of Health to study the impact of banning PBMs from also owning pharmacies and to produce a report on the subject ahead of the legislature's 2026 regulation session next March. ,Landry was upset the lawmakers didn't go farther, however, and threatened to haul the lawmakers back into session later this summer to pass the same proposal. 'Yes we will have a special session to lower prescription drugs for our citizens. It's that important!' Landry said in an email from his spokeswoman Kate Kelly shortly before the bill failed. It's not clear when the governor would call a special session focused on PBMs. Several lawmakers said he was already on his way to France for the International Paris Air Show which starts Monday. He cannot sign off on the paperwork needed for a special session while outside of the state of Louisiana. Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, told reporters after adjournment the complexity of Miller's bill, along with feedback from stakeholders, led to the decision to back alternative measures. . 'The more that members had the opportunity to really digest what that bill would do – and the conversations they were having back home with both their local pharmacy, the chain pharmacist, who it was going to affect – we really had a difficult time getting a true grasp of what the bill was going to do,' Henry said. The Senate president said opposition from senators to the Miller bill grew over the day Thursday as more constituents and lobbyists reached out to members. He also said a special session on PBM legislation seems unnecessary because the Landry-backed bill wasn't even supposed to get implemented for another two years. 'I don't know why you would call a special session for a bill that doesn't take effect until 2027,' Henry said. Arkansas approved a law similar to the Miller bill earlier this year and currently faces federal lawsuits from two of the country's largest pharmacy benefit managers. Henry expressed reluctance to follow their lead. The Miller proposal drew strong opposition from a plaintiff in one of the Arkansas cases – CVS, which owns the pharmacy benefit manager CVS Caremark. Its campaign to defeat the bill included sending text messages to thousands of members of the public, including state employees and their families Thursday, which led the governor to direct Attorney General Liz Murrill to investigate the company's actions. CVS Caremark contracts with the state Office of Group Benefits for billions of dollars to manage insurance coverage for state employees and retirees. 'This is not an appropriate use of personal information obtained through a state contract.' Murrill said Thursday morning in a news release. CVS had said the Miller bill would force it to close more than 125 stores in Louisiana, leading 2,700 employees to lose their jobs. 'Closing drug stores doesn't lower drug prices. Forcing out 20% of the state's pharmacies only makes pharmacy deserts worse,' Amy Thibault, CVS executive director of corporate communications, said in an email. When Echols made the final pitch for his compromise legislation Thursday in the House, he singled out CVS for criticism, noting he had talked with Murrill about her pursuing charges against the company for violating terms of its state contract when it sent its mass text message to state workers. 'This House is not for sale. This legislature cannot be bullied,' Echols said. Randal Johnson, with the Louisiana Independent Pharmacies Association, said the Echols bill will be a vast improvement over the current PBM regulations in Louisiana. 'We believe the consumer will have an opportunity to find out what their drugs costs, and the consumer will have the opportunity to have a less expensive cost of medication' under the Echols legislation, Johnson said. A special session can last no longer than 30 days, and its subject matter will be limited to what Landry wants to discuss if he decides to call it. Piper Hutchinson contributed to this report. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State officials introduce legislation to ease repeal of Sunday liquor ban in Hillsdale
HILLSDALE COUNTY — For decades, bar-goers have been restricted from purchasing liquor and liquor-based mixed drinks from bars and restaurants in Hillsdale County on Sundays. Business owners have made concerted efforts in recent years to collect signatures and bring the issue to the ballot to repeal the county's "blue law," in part because Hillsdale County entities were losing sales to surrounding counties. Now, State Rep. Jennifer Wortz — working in tandem with State Senator Joseph Bellino — are trying to streamline the repeal process under the Michigan Liquor Control Code of 1998. 'Bars and restaurants in Hillsdale County have lost business to Indiana and neighboring communities because of county restrictions,' said Wortz, R-Quincy. 'People want to vote so they can weigh-in on changing the county rules and allowing drink sales on Sundays. "However, a convoluted state law restricts local decision-making. By cleaning up the repeal process, our plan will increase local control and allow voters to give local businesses and customers more freedom.' Wortz and Bellino have introduced identical bills in the House of Representatives and Senate, which would reduce the number of signatures needed for repeal to 5% of the total number of voters who participated in the most recent secretary of state election (down from 8%) and allow county boards to vote to place a repeal on the ballot directly. The proposed legislation — House Bill 4398 and Senate Bill 264 — will also allow for clearer ballot proposal language. Current state law requires the ballot question to ask whether a county should prohibit liquor sales — meaning a "yes" vote would keep the ban in place. The newly introduced bills would allow ballot language to ask if the county should permit liquor sales instead. Subscribe Now: For all the latest local developments, breaking news and high school sports content. 'It's encouraging that our legislators are looking into this issue,' said Hillsdale Economic Development Director Sam Fry. 'We've had a number of businesses express interest in this, because it affects their bottom line.' Hillsdale County's 'blue law' bans the sale of spirits and mixed spirit drinks for on-premises consumption from 7 a.m. Sunday to 2 a.m. Monday, and is the only remaining ban on Sunday alcohol sales in the state of Michigan. 'The people of Hillsdale County should get to decide whether to get rid of the old ban on Sunday spirit sales,' said Bellino, R-Monroe. 'Unfortunately, the state of Michigan makes it difficult even to allow county voters to make their voices heard. Our common-sense plan will remove unnecessary legal barriers — so residents can choose to remove the weekly 'closed for business' sign on the county borders.' — Contact Reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@ or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @cmurrayHDN. This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Wortz, Bellino introduce bills to ease repeal of liquor ban in Hillsdale
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WV Senate bill reinstates death penalty in cases of intentionally killing police, first responders
Sen. Mike Stuart, R-Kanawha, talks about his bill, which would bring back the death penalty, in the Senate Judiciary on Thursday, March 6, 2025 in Charleston, (Will Price | West Virginia Legislative Photography) A bill advancing in the Senate would reinstate the death penalty in West Virginia for individuals who are sentenced for intentionally killing a law-enforcement officer or first responder in the line of duty. West Virginia's death penalty was eliminated in 1965, and bill sponsor Sen. Mike Stuart, R-Kanawha, says the narrow application of capital punishment would show the state's appreciation for law enforcement. 'Our first responders face extreme challenges in the field today,' Stuart said. 'Those folks who knowingly and intentionally place them in death and remove them from their families, their communities and their public service, [it] is the most heinous crime … We will not tolerate anyone harming these folks in the line of duty.' According to Senate Bill 264, the execution of the inmate would have to occur in a correctional facility in West Virginia and could be carried out by any legally acceptable means, including lethal injection or firing squad. Implementation of the measure would cost an estimated roughly $26 million since it could require a 75-bed execution chamber to be constructed and may result in the construction of a new building. The cost also includes necessary staff and lethal injection drugs. The state's Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which estimated the cost, said the state 'could expect significant costs to train and equip the legal community to handle death penalty cases and appeals.' Stuart pushed back on the estimated cost after committee legal counsel said that 21 incarcerated persons would have qualified for the death penalty since 1980 under the legislation. A 75-bed chamber wouldn't be necessary, Stuart argued. The Senate Judiciary passed the measure, sending it to the Senate Finance Committee for consideration due to its potential cost. Sen. Joey Garcia, D-Marion, was among senators who voted against the measure, saying he was 'shocked' to see it on the committee's agenda. He was the only lawmaker to publicly speak out against the measure ahead of the vote. '[It] does not align with the values of the state of West Virginia and its people,' Garcia said. 'I have a fear that although it has been narrowly tailored … it's one of the worst things that could happen to those people who are serving, but I also have a fear that this is just the beginning.' Stuart, who introduced similar legislation last year, cited the 2023 death of West Virginia State Police Sgt. Cory Maynard. Timothy Kennedy pleaded not guilty after being accused of ambushing Maynard after the trooper was responding to a call of shots fired near Matewan in Mingo County. Kennedy's trial is scheduled for later this year. Elmer Brunner, convicted of killing two elderly women, was the last man in West Virginia to die by capital punishment in 1959. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Idaho lawmaker's latest transgender bill would ban mixed-gender bathrooms in public spaces
Idaho could soon prohibit transgender people from using the bathroom they choose in many state buildings, outlaw adult college students from entering a dorm room occupied by a friend of the opposite sex, and ban all-gender bathrooms. An Idaho House lawmaker who is a former women's college basketball coach has made it a top priority to pass laws in the Legislature aimed at transgender people and promoted her latest bill Friday — this one focused on single-sex facilities. Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, introduced House Bill 264 to require universities, prisons, and state-run domestic violence shelters to designate multi-person bathrooms, changing rooms and sleeping quarters for the 'exclusive' use of a particular sex, and to prohibit entry by anyone of another sex. Ehardt's bill allows people who 'encounter a person of the opposite sex' in a restroom or changing room to sue the institution and be awarded legal fees. While Idaho previously passed a law prohibiting transgender students in public K-12 schools from using the bathrooms they prefer, Ehardt's proposal would expand those limits to adults and college students. Ehardt told a House committee Friday that her bill would 'protect girls and women' in line with other laws the state has recently enacted. She invited legal counsel from the Alliance Defending Freedom to attend virtually to help explain her bill. The Idaho Attorney General's Office also contracts out for services from the Christian conservative legal advocacy group. After joining the Legislature in 2017, Ehardt sponsored a 2020 law that made Idaho the first state to ban transgender athletes from participating in female sports. In 2023, Idaho passed a law prohibiting transgender people in state public schools from using the bathroom of their choice. A lawsuit over the bill was argued before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals last year and awaits a decision. Last year, Ehardt joined Republican Gov. Brad Little in hosting college swimmer and conservative activist Riley Gaines at the Idaho Capitol to battle Title IX rules under former Democratic President Joe Biden that aimed to expand legal protections for transgender people. Last month, Ehardt sponsored a resolution commending the Boise State University's women's volleyball team for refusing to play on three occasions against San Jose State, which reportedly had a transgender athlete on its team. The resolution was approved by the Idaho House and Senate. There are an estimated 8,000 transgender people in Idaho, according to the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles. Separately, up to 1.7% of people are born with intersex traits, according to the United Nations. Ehardt's bill does not include provisions to accommodate intersex people, and would prohibit people who identify as different genders from entering a multi-bed dormitory room of a peer who is not their same sex. 'There are disorders of sexual development, those cases are absolutely real,' Ehardt told the committee Friday. 'But the fact of the matter is, you can determine what sex a person is. … This entire legislation is based on sex. It does not care how you identify. You can identify how you want.' At the hearing, a number of people testified that the bill ignores the state's intersex population and targeted transgender residents — and people who may even just appear to be of a different sex. 'As a woman who presents masculine, I have been denied access to restrooms until an officer can verify my sex on my ID,' a woman, who said she's avoided public restrooms for 25 years over fears of being harassed, told the committee. 'This bill seems to be written by people that missed out on some high school biology,' Boise resident Karen Cuellar told the House committee Friday. She said the bill would require institutions to set up 'gender inspection stations' to comply with the law. 'I am a … woman who is comfortable sharing restrooms and changing rooms with transgender women,' said Nissa Nagel, another resident. 'I do not feel safe with strangers, however, policing who looks womanly enough to be in this space.' The proposal includes exemptions for cleaning staff, law enforcement, and people rendering medical aid to enter bathrooms designated for a different sex. At Idaho's prisons, there are 60 to 70 people who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, according to previous Idaho Statesman reporting. Democratic lawmakers on the committee had concerns about how the bill, if passed, would work. The law would allow lawsuits against a public institution if it does not take steps to prevent people from using a bathroom that does not match their sex assigned at birth. 'What is the evidentiary standard that people who are prepared to sue need to be able to demonstrate that the person they encountered in the facility was of the opposite sex?' Rep. Chris Mathias, D-Boise, asked Friday. 'If you're going to bring a claim, you would have to be able to say there was someone of the opposite sex in there,' responded Sara Beth Nolan, Alliance Defending Freedom's legal counsel. House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, an attorney, said she did not see 'any shred of a problem being addressed here' with the bill and that it would force transgender men who present as men to use female restrooms, and vice versa. Litigation over the bill would be 'certain to follow,' she added at an earlier hearing. Rep. John Gannon, D-Boise, also a lawyer, has pointed out that while the bill allows people who file lawsuits over a bathroom incident to recover attorneys fees if they win, the bill does not provide a mechanism to require the filer to pay court costs if they lose. The bill heard on Friday is the third version of the legislation that Ehardt has brought so far this session. After she introduced the initial version in late January, Ehardt was surprised during an interview with reporters by provisions of her bill, which would have applied to any public restroom in the state and also would have, for example, banned male university sports coaches from entering their female players' locker rooms, and vice versa. The newest version removed the bill's application to any public building in the state, instead limiting it to prisons, domestic violence shelters, and university dorm rooms and campuses. The committee's large Republican majority supported advancing the bill to the House floor for a vote. 'There's a compelling governmental interest in doing this type of legislation,' said Rep. John Shirts, R-Weiser, an attorney who prosecutes cases in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. 'Women should not have to be forced to share facilities with biological males in prisons or in domestic violence shelters.' Reporter Alex Brizee contributed.
