Latest news with #PhilAmato
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Missouri bill would require senior-care referral companies to disclose financial ties
State Rep. Phil Amato, a Republican from Arnold, filed the standalone bill to require senior care referral sites to disclose financial ties, which was then added onto a sweeping health bill sponsored by Rep. Tara Peters (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications). For-profit referral companies that connect Missouri seniors to assisted living facilities would be required to disclose their financial ties to those facilities under a bill debated in a Missouri Senate committee on Wednesday. The proposal, which is included in a sweeping health bill, aims to add 'protections for families looking to place their loved one in a facility,' Republican state Rep. Tara Peters of Rolla, told lawmakers shortly before the House approved the bill last month. The Senate Committee on Families, Seniors and Health heard public testimony Wednesday. CONTACT US The bill has won support from advocates for seniors as well as lobbyists representing associations for long-term care facilities. The only opposition came from the referral companies themselves, who said the requirements were a regulatory burden that would confuse families trying to get information on facilities. Washington, Colorado, Arizona, and Maryland have passed similar laws. Companies such as the national, private-equity backed A Good Place for Mom offer free assistance for those looking for assisted living facilities. They make money by receiving fees from facilities for referrals. A Good Place for Mom, which is based in New York, hired seven Jefferson City lobbyists on March 4, according to the Missouri Ethics Commission. The legislation would require agencies to disclose any relationship between the company and long-term care facility, and the fact that the company receives a fee for the referral. It would also require the consumer to sign off on an agreement before the agency shares their contact info. Proponents argue that consumers aren't made aware of the companies' motivations for recommending certain facilities. They also say that when consumers enter their contact information into a company's website, they are not aware that they are giving permission to share that information with facilities. Jeff Balleau, who testified in support of the legislation, runs a local referral agency and believes there should be more transparency. 'The only people that don't support this are billion dollar venture capitalist companies who feel like honesty and transparency doesn't meet family needs,' he said. He added that when his father was searching for a facility, he got '40 calls in a day' and 'I'm not sure who finds that helpful.' He said he's seen clients have trouble opting out once they're signed up and their information has been shared. Erin Dwyer, who works at Senior Care Authority, another local referral company, as a senior care advisor said 'these online lead aggregators don't listen to client needs. They blast their client info, and the families need to be able to opt out.' A Washington Post investigation last year found that A Good Place for Mom, the largest such agency, regularly recommends facilities on its website that state regulatory agencies have found to be substandard. Reporters found more than one-third of facilities recognized by A Place for Mom from 2023 to 2024 as award-winning, across 28 states, were cited by the state for 'serious violations affecting resident care.' The U.S. Senate's Special Committee on Aging subsequently announced it was launching an investigation into A Place for Mom. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX State Rep. Phil Amato, a Republican from Arnold, sponsored the standalone version of the bill that passed out of committee earlier this year unanimously for the second year in a row. It was later added to Peters' health care bill as an amendment. Amato was inspired to file the bill after hearing from constituents, he told a House committee in March. Amato said in one instance, the sibling of a potential long-term care resident entered her info to one of these sites. The woman, who'd recently lost her husband, then received a barrage of calls from facilities that appointments had been set up for her to visit. She didn't even know if assisted living would be right for her yet. 'She's grieving the loss of her husband, and now she's getting all of these pestering phone calls,' Amato said. '…When it was told to me, I couldn't believe it. And then since then, I've had other horror stories.' Amato's bill last year was nearing passage, he said in March, but died when the Senate adjourned early. 'This year, there's getting some pushback,' Amato said, 'because there's been some, I know you're shocked to hear, but somebody has hired lobbyists to come and try to make sure that this thing is defeated.' Michelle McGovern, the chief legal officer for A Place for Mom, testified that while her company supports transparency, the bill imposes an 'unnecessary regulatory burden,' and will confuse families trying to access information. 'Forcing families into fee disclosures and business negotiations, especially during times of emotional stress will add confusion and not clarity to families,' she said. McGovern said the provision requiring families to sign off on an agreement with the company could prove confusing and negative to their business. 'We just want to keep the contracts between us and the community,' she said at the March hearing, referring to the facilities they contract with. A Place for Mom contracts with 200 care facilities across Missouri, McGovern said. State Rep. Jo Doll, a St. Louis Democrat, pressed McGovern at last month's hearing. 'It's kind of like you're selling the information to your community customers,' Doll said. McGovern responded that consumers are 'consenting for us to share. I mean, there's no other way to do a referral. They are consenting to us to share their information with the community.' Doll said people who provide their contact info may just want to see the options, not have their information shared with facilities. Jewell Patek, a longtime Jefferson City lobbyist representing A Place for Mom and another referral company called Caring, said Wednesday the bill would hurt seniors. 'This bill would be very harmful to the business practices of the people who are providing the most information that's free and available and trustworthy,' he said, 'and I think it would be harmful to the folks that everyone's saying they're trying to protect.' The committee concluded without taking a vote on the bill Wednesday. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Missouri's revamped ‘eHarmony for babies' bill criticized as government overreach
State Rep. Phil Amato, a Republican from Arnold, originally filed legislation that would have required that the state 'maintain a central registry of each expectant mother who is at risk for seeking an abortion of her unborn child" (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications). The revamp of widely-criticized legislation that sought to create a registry of pregnant girls and women 'at risk' of abortion raised bipartisan concerns of government overreach during a House committee hearing Tuesday morning. The initial bill, filed by state Rep. Phil Amato, a Republican from Arnold, would have required that the state 'maintain a central registry of each expectant mother who is at risk for seeking an abortion of her unborn child.' Amato has said this registry would have been voluntary, though it was unclear who would have collected that information. His initial bill was highlighted in a smattering of national and international headlines raising concerns about data privacy in one of the most anti-abortion states in the country. Dozens of people filed testimony in opposition. The bill was set aside, and Amato filed a new version. 'The verbiage was a little clumsy,' Amato admitted Tuesday before his colleagues on the House Committee on Children and Families as he presented his new legislation. Amato said he first approached an adoption attorney about drafting this bill after he learned how costly and difficult adoption can be. He said he hoped the legislation would help more easily get resources to expectant parents, make adoption easier and use modern technology to match pregnant individuals with potential adoptive parents. He previously referred to the idea on several occasions as 'eHarmony for babies.' 'Lifeline for women': Missouri bill removes obstacles for pregnant women seeking divorce This new bill would still create a Division of Maternal and Child Resources within the Department of Social Services that would be designed to help anyone who doesn't want to keep their baby connect with families hoping to adopt. Amato removed all references to a registry, but the bill still refers to people 'at risk' of abortion. 'The system shall coordinate community resources and provide assistance or services to expectant mothers identified to be at risk for seeking abortion services,' the bill reads. 'And to prevent abortion through the adoption of children by fit and proper persons seeking to adopt.' While some concerns about the 'at risk' language were again raised, most of Tuesday's debate centered around hesitations from both Democrats and Republicans about how much government control this would create in the adoption space — and at what price. The fiscal note cites a potential cost of more than $40 million in state revenue for the program in 2026. Much of this goes to staff salaries, including the cost of five legal counsel who would help with referral processes from school districts, non-profits, homeless shelters and faith-based organizations 'that could refer up to 3,700 expectant mothers' a year. Sam Lee, a longtime anti-abortion lobbyist, raised concerns that the legislation would require agencies that fall within the Alternatives to Abortion program, like maternity homes and pregnancy resources centers, 'to start looking at eyeballing these women and seeing if they're candidates to place their child for adoption.' 'I don't think that's something we want to have the government doing,' he said. The fiscal note goes on to estimate that there were 3,653 abortions in 2021 and 3,012 abortions in 2022 in Missouri. However, data previously provided to The Independent by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services show that data refers to the numbers of Missourians who received abortions anywhere in the country during those years. In 2021, only 150 abortions were performed in the state, according to the health department. In 2022, the year the procedure became illegal, it dropped to 88. State Rep. Jamie Gragg, an Ozark Republican, said his main concern was the creation of a department that would put the government in direct competition with the private sector since adoption agencies already exist. 'The most dangerous words ever spoken are 'Hello, I'm from the government. I'm here to help,'' said Gragg. ' … I appreciate the intent, but I would like to see how we can make the existing things work cheaper, instead of the government basically coming and taking over and really screwing it up.' The committee took no action on the legislation Tuesday. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missouri Republican proposes ‘e-Harmony for babies' database to track pregnant women ‘at risk' of seeking abortion
A Republican state lawmaker in Missouri has introduced legislation that would create a 'central registry' of pregnant people who are 'at risk for seeking an abortion,' what the bill's author called the makings of an 'e-Harmony for babies' to match with adoptive families. The legislation would also allow the state to share information from that database with law enforcement agencies, 'including those outside of this state,' the bill states. Republican state Rep. Phil Amato largely deferred questions about his 'Save MO Babies Act' during a Children and Families Committee hearing to Gerard Harms, an adoption attorney who wrote the bill. 'We're looking at something like e-Harmony for babies — mothers who want to put up their children need to match with prospective parents,' Harms told the committee Tuesday. 'That's exactly what the intent of this is. Against, inartfully drafted.' Harms said participation is voluntary and would comply with all federal health privacy laws. But skeptical state lawmakers and abortion rights advocates have raised alarms about data privacy protections and what amounts to 'government surveillance' tracking people who could seek an abortion. Mallory Schwarz, executive director of Abortion Action Missouri, said the legislation is a reminder of prior attempts from state officials to 'track and surveil' pregnant people in the state, including a former state health department director's admission that he tracked the menstrual cycles of Planned Parenthood patients. 'The flippant and disturbing remarks heard today about establishing 'e-Harmony for babies' encouraging prospective families to shop for children should ring alarm bells for everyone,' Schwarz said in a statement to The Independent. 'No pregnant person, no child is off the table for anti-abortion politicians to exploit in order to further their own power and control over our bodies, families, and futures,' she added. Missouri House Democrats raged against the legislation on social media Monday night. 'ARE YOU SERIOUS!?' a Facebook post from the Missouri House Democratic Caucus said. 'We have to imagine even conservative Missourians would be horrified by this idea,' the post added. The Independent has requested comment from Amato. His legislation would require the Division of Maternal and Child Resources within the state's state's Department of Social Services 'to make and maintain a central registry of each expecting mother who is at risk for seeking an abortion and a central registry of each prospective adoptive parent who has successfully completed certain screenings, background checks, home studies, and other investigations to ensure the fit of the prospective parent to adopt a child.' The division 'can share records, information, and findings with federal, state, or local child welfare agency personnel and law enforcement agencies, including those outside of this state,' according to the bill. The legislation follows a state court ruling that blocks restrictions on abortion access in the state, marking a major victory for abortion rights in the GOP-controlled state. Missouri was among several states last year where voters approved ballot measures proposing state constitutional amendments to enshrine the right to abortion access in the wake of the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling that overturned a constitutional right to abortion and punted abortion rights to individual states. In December, a judge ruled the state's near-total abortion ban was unenforceable under the new amendment Last week, a judge blocked 'unnecessary' and 'discriminatory' requirements for certain exams and tests that other healthcare providers do not have to perform. There were more than 3,000 abortions in Missouri in 2022, according to the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, the last year for which data was available — marking a 62 percent decrease from 1999, which saw more than 8,000 abortions. Abortion rights advocates are bracing for Donald Trump's administration's potential maneuvers around abortion care as he fills his presidential cabinet with anti-abortion figures and a Republican-dominated Congress revives efforts to target abortion access even in states where it is legally protected. Last month, the president signed pardons for 23 anti-abortion activists who were convicted for violating a federal law that makes it a crime to block entrances to reproductive health clinics, while U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has visited with anti-abortion officials who want to target prescription abortion drugs. Trump's administration also removed reproductive healthcare information from government websites. The administration's reinstatement of the so-called 'global gag rule' and threats to foreign aid have also significantly disrupted reproductive healthcare globally. Nearly three years after the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade, nearly half of U.S. states ban or severely restrict access to abortion.
The Independent
18-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Missouri Republican proposes ‘e-Harmony for babies' database to track pregnant women ‘at risk' of seeking abortion
A Republican state lawmaker in Missouri has introduced legislation that would create a 'central registry' of pregnant people who are 'at risk for seeking an abortion,' what the bill's author called the makings of an 'e-Harmony for babies' to match with adoptive families. The legislation would also allow the state to share information from that database with law enforcement agencies, 'including those outside of this state,' the bill states. Republican state Rep. Phil Amato largely deferred questions about his 'Save MO Babies Act' during a Children and Families Committee hearing to Gerard Harms, an adoption attorney who wrote the bill. 'We're looking at something like e-Harmony for babies — mothers who want to put up their children need to match with prospective parents,' Harms told the committee Tuesday. 'That's exactly what the intent of this is. Against, inartfully drafted.' Harms said participation is voluntary and would comply with all federal health privacy laws. But skeptical state lawmakers and abortion rights advocates have raised alarms about data privacy protections and what amounts to 'government surveillance' tracking people who could seek an abortion. Mallory Schwarz, executive director of Abortion Action Missouri, said the legislation is a reminder of prior attempts from state officials to 'track and surveil' pregnant people in the state, including a former state health department director's admission that he tracked the menstrual cycles of Planned Parenthood patients. 'The flippant and disturbing remarks heard today about establishing 'e-Harmony for babies' encouraging prospective families to shop for children should ring alarm bells for everyone,' Schwarz said in a statement to The Independent. 'No pregnant person, no child is off the table for anti-abortion politicians to exploit in order to further their own power and control over our bodies, families, and futures,' she added. Missouri House Democrats raged against the legislation on social media Monday night. 'ARE YOU SERIOUS!?' a Facebook post from the Missouri House Democratic Caucus said. 'We have to imagine even conservative Missourians would be horrified by this idea,' the post added. The Independent has requested comment from Amato. His legislation would require the Division of Maternal and Child Resources within the state's state's Department of Social Services 'to make and maintain a central registry of each expecting mother who is at risk for seeking an abortion and a central registry of each prospective adoptive parent who has successfully completed certain screenings, background checks, home studies, and other investigations to ensure the fit of the prospective parent to adopt a child.' The division 'can share records, information, and findings with federal, state, or local child welfare agency personnel and law enforcement agencies, including those outside of this state,' according to the bill. The legislation follows a state court ruling that blocks restrictions on abortion access in the state, marking a major victory for abortion rights in the GOP-controlled state. Missouri was among several states last year where voters approved ballot measures proposing state constitutional amendments to enshrine the right to abortion access in the wake of the Supreme Court 's 2022 ruling that overturned a constitutional right to abortion and punted abortion rights to individual states. In December, a judge ruled the state's near-total abortion ban was unenforceable under the new amendment Last week, a judge blocked 'unnecessary' and 'discriminatory' requirements for certain exams and tests that other healthcare providers do not have to perform. There were more than 3,000 abortions in Missouri in 2022, according to the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, the last year for which data was available — marking a 62 percent decrease from 1999, which saw more than 8,000 abortions. Abortion rights advocates are bracing for Donald Trump 's administration's potential maneuvers around abortion care as he fills his presidential cabinet with anti-abortion figures and a Republican-dominated Congress revives efforts to target abortion access even in states where it is legally protected. Last month, the president signed pardons for 23 anti-abortion activists who were convicted for violating a federal law that makes it a crime to block entrances to reproductive health clinics, while U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has visited with anti-abortion officials who want to target prescription abortion drugs. Trump's administration also removed reproductive healthcare information from government websites. The administration's reinstatement of the so-called 'global gag rule' and threats to foreign aid have also significantly disrupted reproductive healthcare globally. Nearly three years after the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade, nearly half of U.S. states ban or severely restrict access to abortion.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Missouri bill proposes registry for pregnant women to ‘reduce preventable abortions'
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KTVI) — Legislation introduced in Missouri would create a list of 'at risk' pregnant women in the state in order to 'reduce the number of preventable abortions.' House Bill 807, nicknamed the 'Save MO Babies Act,' was proposed by Republican state Rep. Phil Amato. The bill summary states that, if passed, Missouri would create a registry of every expecting mother in the state 'who is at risk for seeking an abortion' starting July 1, 2026. The list would be created through the Maternal and Child Services division of the Department of Social Services, but the measure did not specify how the 'at risk' would be identified. This registry would also incorporate hopeful adoptive parents who have completed certain screenings, including background checks, home studies and other investigations, according to the legislation. Additionally, the bill would mandate the promotion of 'the safe and healthy birth of children in the state through the utilization of existing resources; coordinate community resources and provide assistance or services to expecting mothers identified to be at risk for seeking abortion services; and prevent abortions through the adoption of children by fit and proper adoptive parents.' Leader of cultlike 'Zizian' group linked to 6 killings in multiple states ordered held without bail A response, evaluation and legal team comprised of 10 members would be appointed between the director of the Department of Social Services, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) and the state Supreme Court. According to the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, there were just over 3,000 abortions in the state in 2022, a 62 percent decrease from 1999, which saw more than 8,000. HB807 was referred to the Children and Families Committee on Feb. 13. Its next hearing is on Wednesday. Lawmakers in the state are also pushing for stricter abortion laws, with a bill introduced last month that would prohibit abortions if a fetal heartbeat is detected except in cases of medical emergencies. In November, Missouri voters narrowly approved a ballot measure to add the right to an abortion to their state constitution. More than a month later, a judge ruled that Missouri's near-total abortion ban, which went into effect in 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, was unenforceable under the new constitutional amendment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
