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This week...

House Gives First-Round Approval to Healthcare Reform Bills

Despite the House taking off on Monday to watch the solar eclipse, they had a productive week and perfected several bills, including two major healthcare reform bills. Look for third read votes on both bills next week: 

• 340B: would prohibit insurance companies from discriminating against 340B-eligible hospitals. 340B is a federal program that requires certain drugs be sold at a discounted rate to certain hospitals that serve a large show of low-income individuals. The bill would also prohibit insurance carriers from mandating patients use their in-house, often out-of-state pharmacy, and requires them to give patients more than one option for a local pharmacy. 
• Prior Authorizations: would allow health care providers who get over 90% of their prior authorization requests approved by an insurance carrier in a 6 month window, to not be required to submit prior authorization requests for those same procedures in the following 6 month time period. 

Senate Passes Bill Banning Medicaid Payments to Planned Parenthood

Legislation that would prohibit Planned Parenthood from receiving reimbursements from the state’s Medicaid program, MO HealthNet, passed out of the Senate early Wednesday morning along party lines after Democrats filibustered for more than 11 hours. 

The legislation would make it nearly impossible for Planned Parenthood clinics to continue seeing Medicaid patients. Planned Parenthood clinics have not provided abortion procedures in ����ӰԺ since the state outlawed the procedure in June 2022, following the overturn of Roe v. Wade.

now returns to the House, where it can be adopted or sent to conference committee to hash out any differences before it could go to the Governor’s desk for his signature. .

Why it matters: The Senate Freedom Caucus has stated they intend to block the passage of the bill to reauthorize the Federal Reimbursement Allowance (FRA) tax until the general assembly passes legislation (and have hinted the Governor must also sign it) to ban Medicaid dollars from going to Planned Parenthood. 

is considered “must-pass” legislation. If the FRA is not reauthorized before it is set to expire in September, the state will face a more than $4 billion budget shortfall. Since the 90s, the FRA has served as a funding mechanism used to draw down more federal dollars to fund hospitals, nursing homes, ambulance services, and pharmacies throughout the state. 
 

Budget Awaits Senate Consideration

It was a quiet week this week in the ����ӰԺ Senate relative to the state operating budget. Senate Budget Chairman Lincoln Hough (R-Springfield) spent the week meeting with Senators and staff and began the process of putting the initial touches on the Senate committee version of the budget. At this time, it appears there will be no public committee hearings next week either. There are now only 4 weeks remaining before the constitutional deadline to pass the state budget at 6:00 PM on Friday, May 10.

Senate Votes to Ban Child Marriage

The Senate passed this week that would raise the legal age of marriage in the state from 16 to 18 years old. 

Until 2018, minors aged 15 or older could get married with the written permission of one parent, and minors aged 14 or younger could get married with a court order. In 2018, the general assembly raised the minimum age of marriage to 16 with one parent’s written permission still required. .
 

Anxiousness Rising Regarding Legislative Movement

The House and Senate appeared poised to move forward with members’ legislative priorities early in the week. The Senate was able to find compromise on the Planned Parenthood bill which was supposed to break the FRA extension legislation loose. That perceived deal did not happen, at least not this week.

Senator Eigel and Senator Moon rattled their swords at the House because they have failed to send them the IP Reform legislation, which the House has had possession of for several weeks.

This is the time of year that House and Senate members tend to get antsy about the movement of legislation. There are only 5 weeks before session ends, and the Senate still needs to dedicate precious time over at least two of those weeks to work on the budget. Given that neither chamber has spent much floor time working on the other chambers priorities, the window to move legislation and through each chamber is tightening.

Dates of Interest

Friday, May 10: Constitutional deadline to pass balanced budget for FY25

Friday, May 17: Last Day of Session

Wednesday, September 11: Veto Session