House Health Hears Testimony, Educational Presentation

[March 13, 2019]

The House Health Committee met on Tuesday, March 12 to hear testimony on four bills. No votes occurred during the session. 

The hearing began with an educational presentation from Rea Hederman of the Buckeye Institute that discussed ideas to decrease costs in the health care industry by increasing competition. Among the ideas to increase competition discussed by Mr. Hederman were increasing the scope of practice for physician assistants and nurse practitioners, increasing transparency in hospital pricing, and encouraging the use of health savings accounts.

Following the presentation, the committee heard proponent testimony on the following bills:

• HB 63, 1st Hearing - Pharmacy benefit managers/disclosure of drug prices
  • Prohibits a health plan issuer, including pharmacy benefit managers and other third-party administrators, from requiring cost-sharing in an amount greater than the lesser of the following from an individual purchasing a prescription drug: 1) The amount an individual would pay if the drug were purchased without insurance or 2) The net reimbursement paid to the pharmacy by the health plan issuer.
  • Requires a pharmacist to disclose to patients if their prescriptions would cost less if purchased without insurance coverage.
• HB 90, 1st Hearing - Unborn child’s humanity/abortion-free society educational program and material
  • Requires the Department of Health (ODH) to provide information about the humanity of an unborn child and achieving an abortion-free society.
  • Requires ODH to develop and make available materials on 1) the probable characteristics of an unborn child at specified gestational ages, and 2) pregnancy and abortion.
  • Requires State Board of Education, with ODH collaboration, to develop an unborn child’s humanity instructional program to be taught in schools that is consistent with the materials developed by ODH.
• HB 102, 1st Hearing - Medicaid coverage for chiropractic services
  • Requires Medicaid to cover chiropractic services for recipients, offering no less than 20 visits to any participating licensed chiropractor acting within their scope of practice. Medicaid would not be able to impose a prior authorization or referral requirements for these services.
• HB 65, 2nd Hearing - Parental notice of risks to children receiving child care
  • Requires a childcare provider licensed by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to notify parents if the Department determines that the provider created a serious risk to a child's health or safety.