2018
Legislation drafted/changed
HB14 – Patient Brokering – Representative Hutchings
• Assisted in the drafting and ensured quick passage through both houses
• Amended the bill to allow for third party transportation.
SB222 – Toxicology Amendments – Senator Davis
• Amended the entire intent of the bill to allow ethical third party administrators to continue to operate in Utah
• Worked with the insurance carriers to ensure the actual problem begins to be addressed.
HB127 – Representative Fawson
• This bill adds requirements and tightens up loopholes to require prescribers to check the controlled substance database before writing a prescription.
• We supported this bill and helped ensure its passage
HB309 – Representative Eliason
• This bill would have created the ability for prosecutors to charge someone with homicide for selling drugs to someone that died as a result of using the drugs.
• We amended this bill first to narrow the definition enough that it would be very specific to ‘kingpin’ dealers at the head of a vast criminal enterprise
• After the amendments, we still weren’t comfortable with the language, so we killed it in the senate.
HB366 – Representative Christensen
• This bill made minor changes to the ‘civil commitment’ law that was passed last year.
• Because this bill has no teeth or enforcement mechanism, we as an association took a position of ‘soft support’ and allowed it to pass.
HB468 – Representative Ray (TOSA bill)
• This bill created an alternative licensing option for ‘vocational and life skills programs’
• We had major issues with this bill and were able to kill it last year, but unfortunately the repercussions of killing it this year would have been extensive, so we allowed it to pass with very specific amendments to ensure the safety of the clients in these facilities. We also amended the bill to ensure that these facilities are not allowed to accept payment from the clients, the government, or insurance carriers.
HB472 – Representative Spendlove
• This bill expands Medicaid to 100% of the FPL in Utah.
• After ensuring this bill would not damage the existing provisions in our waiver for Representative Dunnigan’s TAM coverage (IMD exclusion, etc…) We vehemently supported this bill and helped ensure its passage.
HB410/SB205 – Representative Moss/Senator Weiler
• These bills were combined and the result was to force a study on the conditions of substance use withdrawal in our county jails. We supported this bill, recommended combining the bills together, and assisted in its passage.
Background Screening Amendments – Representative Ray
• We opened this bill file with the intention of allowing it to die, but to ensure these background screening issues are continually discussed with UBHO and DHS over the interim.
Funding Items
• $885,000 to ensure the maintained operation of our Mothers and Children/Fathers and Children facilities (Odyssey House and House of Hope)
• $1 Million to continue the Medication Assisted Treatment programs operated by Salt Lake County and Davis County.
• $250,000 to begin a Medication Assisted Treatment program in Carbon County.
• $100,000 ongoing money to allow ‘Recover @ the U’ to lease office space and hire staff at the University of Utah.
Task Force Agenda Items for the Interim
• Setting requirements for PEHP to offer a residential treatment benefit for Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders.
• Addressing the deceptive advertising practices by patient brokering companies. (e.g. creating websites or using billboards with pictures of our members’ facilities along with the brokering company’s contact information whereby clients are then sold to the highest bidder
• Investigating financial arrangements between state funded detox facilities and substance use treatment facilities.