A number of state measures that impact the practice of medicine and public health had movement in the past month.

• House Bill 8, requiring insurance coverage of biomarker testing, passed the House and is now headed to the Ohio Senate.
• House Bill 52, signed into law by Governor DeWine on March 3, eliminates the requirements that a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) practice with supervision.
• House Bill 220, a bill supported by the Ohio State Medical Association (OSMA), aims to reform insurance prior authorization processes to reduce burdens on physicians and patients. This measure reported out of House Health Committee on March 17 and will now move to the full House for a vote.
• House Bill 449 and House Bill 508 are similar bills that would allow Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) to practice without a standard care agreement (SCA) and collaborating practitioner and permit an APRN’s collaborator to be another APRN. HB 508 had a 4th hearing on March 17; HB 449 had a first hearing on March 11.
• House Bill 589, which would require health insurance companies to provide material amendments to the contract to providers at least 90 days prior to the effective date, had a second hearing on March 11.
• Senate Bill 137 requires hospitals to provide overdose reversal drugs to patients who present to the emergency department for adverse events related to opioid use. This was signed into law by the Governor on March 5.
• House Bill 561 would permit parents to object to immunization requirements and not vaccinate their children in daycare, preschools, and schools. The bill had a first hearing in the House Health Committee on February 4 and a second hearing on March 18.

The Columbus Medical Association joined a coalition of health agencies and associations to urge members of the Ohio House of Representatives Health Committee against House Bill 561, expressing grave concern about our community’s ability to prevent infectious disease outbreaks. Read more in this letter from Public Policy Committee Co-Chair Dr. Bill Cotton here.