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Last week was a crucial date for the legislative session as Monday was Crossover Day—the last day that a bill can pass from its Chamber of origin and still be considered for final passage this session. Several CGHI: GaBio bills saw passage, keeping almost all of our prioritized legislation active for this session.

House Bill 343, the Lowering Prescription Drug Costs for Patients Act, was sent back to committee to be amended, lowering the rebate pass thru portion from 80% to 50% but still requiring PBM reporting. It was passed out of the House on Crossover Day and has had one hearing in the Senate Health & Human Services Committee. We do not expect it to be amended in the Senate and hope to see a vote on it in the next two weeks.

House Bill 19, the General Appropriations Act for FY24 containing our Rural Teacher Training Initiative (RTTI) funds, passed the House last week and is now being considered by the Senate Appropriations Committee. Our request for an additional $200,000/year, bringing our yearly total to $523,000/year, was included in the House version of the budget and we are working on meetings with the Senate Appropriations Committee to ensure that this increase in funds remains in the final budget.

Senate Bill 106, the Healthy Babies Act establishing a 3-year pilot program to offer remote maternal clinical care for high-risk pregnancies under Medicaid, passed the State Senate and has been assigned to the House Public Health Committee. It has not received a hearing yet.

Senate Bill 223, a bill authorizing the reimbursement of patient incurred expenses related to participation in a cancer clinical trial, passed the Senate and has been assigned to the House Health Committee. This bill will codify current law by clarifying that reimbursement of expenses does not constitute inducement to participate. We are excited for this bill and the precedent that it will set as we continue to push for increased access to clinical trials for Georgia patients.

Additional items of note that passed last week:

  • House Bill 416, authorizing qualified pharmacy technicians to administer vaccines
  • House Bill 530, providing protective orders for high ranking officials in depositions and discovery
  • Senate Bill 76, providing for the State Health Benefit Plan to cover insulin at a reduced cost
  • Senate Bill 109, adding continuous glucose monitors as a pharmacy benefit under Medicaid

 

Items that did not receive final passage:

  • House Bill 417, legislation to restrict pharmaceutical steering or “white bagging” as it is known, was passed out of the House Insurance Committee last Monday morning but was not placed on a Rules Calendar for a vote. It will still be active for next session but will not receive final passage this year.
  • Senate Bill 243, legislation requiring technology manufacturers to disclose proprietary information for diagnostic purposes, did not receive a committee hearing or vote and will not move forward this year. As this is the first year of a two-year legislative cycle, this bill will still be viable next session, so we will continue our conversations on the dangers of passing this legislation.

 

House Bill 85, legislation requiring insurance coverage of biomarker testing, saw final passage from the State Senate today and will now go to Governor Kemp’s desk to be signed into law. Thank you to ACS CAN, our industry partners, and advocates who helped on this legislation. We have heard the remarkable impact that biomarker testing can have on a patient’s outcomes, and we are thrilled that Georgia has prioritized patients with this legislation.

This week will see legislative days 32 – 35 of the 40-day legislative session, inching closer to the March 29th deadline of Sine Die. We are closely monitoring these and several other pieces of legislation as we draw closer. If you have questions or concerns about any legislation, please contact VP of Government Affairs Ashley Haltom at ahaltom@cghi.org.

 

REGISTER NOW: PATIENT ADVOCACY ALLIANCE ROUNDTABLE

 

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FEDERAL UPDATE

CGHI: GaBio represented Georgia last week for the AdvaMed/SMTA fly-in in Washington D.C. It was a great event and opportunity to connect with our Congressional delegation on issues important to our MedTech sector here in Georgia. Thank you to AdvaMed for the great content and sharing of best practices from our fellow state associations!

 

CONTACT THE TEAM

Should you have questions, concerns, or just want more information on a legislative issue, please don’t hesitate to reach out to members of our Policy Team.

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Ashley HaltomVP of Government AffairsCenter for Global Health Innovation: Georgia Bioahaltom@gabio.org

(478) 217-0232

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Marcus DownsChair, Policy & Advocacy CommitteeDirector, State Government AffairsTakeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.marcus.downs@takeda.com

(678) 234-4060

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Sally KilpatrickPrincipalCornerstone Government Affairsskilpatrick@cgagroup.org

(404) 805-6363

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