FL’s New Prescription Drug Reform Law, Abortion Pill Reversal Ban in CO & More

FL Enacts Prescription Drug Reform Law

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed legislation (SB 1550) aimed at curbing prescription drug prices. The measure codifies the governor’s actions last year restricting certain pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) practices, such as steering consumers to pharmacies the PBMs control, and requiring greater transparency from drug makers about price increases. (WQCS [FORT PIERCE], FLORIDA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE)

CO Outlaws Abortion Pill Reversals

Last month Colorado enacted SB 190, making it the first state in the nation to ban the controversial practice known as abortion pill reversal. That practice involves administering progesterone after mifepristone, the first pill administered in a medication abortion, is taken. (KFF HEALTH NEWS, STATE NET)

Pandemic Telehealth Prescription Power to Continue Temporarily

Physicians will be allowed to continue to prescribe certain drugs like Adderall outside of in-person visits while the Drug Enforcement Administration finalizes new rules governing telemedicine. The agency received over 35,000 public comments in response to its previous plan to withdraw that prescription authority when the federal covid emergency ends on May 11. (KFF HEALTH NEWS, AXIOS)

PA to Require Health Insurers to Cover Breast Cancer Screenings

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) signed first-in-the-nation legislation (SB 8) requiring health insurers to fully cover the costs of diagnostic screenings for women at increased risk of developing breast cancer. Those screenings include breast MRIs and ultrasounds for women with a personal or family history of breast cancer and genetic testing for women with a personal or family history of BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, predisposing them to breast and ovarian cancers. The law will take effect in 2025. (PATRIOT-NEWS [HARRISBURG], STATE NET)

MT Considering Insurance Coverage of Fertility Preservation for Cancer Patients

Montana’s Senate passed a bill (SB 516) that would require health insurers to cover the initial costs of fertility preservation, including the retrieval of sperm, eggs or embryos, for individuals diagnosed with cancer. The Senate’s approval of the measure on April 28 left only a few days for the House to pass it before the end of the state’s legislative session on May 5. (KFF HEALTH NEWS, STATE NET)

Nursing Program Enrollment Dips in 2022

College nursing program enrollment declined for the first time in two decades last year, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Enrollment in Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs, the way most registered nurses enter the profession, dropped by 1.4 percent, or 3,518 students, from 2021 to 2022. (AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES OF NURSING)

—Compiled by KOREY CLARK

Please visit our webpage to connect with a State Net representative and learn how the State Net legislative and regulatory tracking solution can help you identify, track, analyze and report on relevant legislative and regulatory developments.