The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) advocacy team monitors healthcare related legislation, rule changes, and legislative updates for Ohio’s family physicians.
To access the OAFP Bill Tracker, visit the OAFP Public Policy webpage and click on the Bill Tracker icon.
Read on for this week’s updates and contact Advocacy Coordinator Kaela Springhetti with questions or for ways to get involved.
U.S. Attorney General Reclassifies State-Licensed Medical Cannabis
Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
Recently, the acting U.S. attorney general signed an order reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug, a major policy shift long sought by advocates who said cannabis should never have been treated like heroin by the federal government (Source: Trump Reclassifies State-Licensed Medical Marijuana as a Less-Dangerous Drug in a Historic Shift, Associated Press, April 23).
The order signed by Todd Blanche does not legalize cannabis for medical or recreational use under federal law. But it does change the way it’s regulated, shifting licensed medical marijuana from Schedule I — reserved for drugs without medical use and with high potential for abuse — to the less strictly regulated Schedule III. It also gives licensed medical marijuana operators a major tax break and eases some barriers to researching cannabis.
The Trump Administration also said it was jump-starting the process for reclassifying marijuana more broadly, setting a hearing to begin in late June.
Insurers Step Up Prior Authorization Reforms
Source: The Hill
Major health insurance companies recently said they were accelerating efforts to streamline prior authorization requirements and reduce administrative burdens for healthcare professionals.
The commitment was signed by about 50 companies, including UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, and Cigna. It comes as insurers face mounting scrutiny on Capitol Hill for prior authorization practices that healthcare professionals argue can delay or block necessary care.
Under the new agreement, participating plans are adopting a standardized approach for clinicians submitting electronic prior authorization requests for services such as orthopedic surgeries and imaging like CT scans and MRIs.
These services span commercial coverage, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid managed care.
UnitedHealthcare said more than half of its prior authorization volume will be incorporated into the standardization process, with that share expected to exceed 70% by the end of 2026.
The announcement could help insurers cast themselves as stewards of affordability, helping to keep clinicians from ordering unnecessary services — and keeping facilities from getting paid for them.
A House panel is set to grill health system executives soon on health care affordability.
“This is a meaningful step forward toward giving patients faster answers, more certainty, and fewer unnecessary delays in care,” Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, wrote on X. “I applaud these efforts from a collection of the largest health plans across most market segments as momentum builds. We look forward to continuing to work with health plans and clinicians on improving care for patients through this effort.
Ohio AG Joins Call to Protect State Drug-Pricing Transparency Laws
Source: Ohio Capital Journal
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has joined 44 other state attorneys general in calling on the federal government to bring more transparency to prescription drug transactions.
They also asked that in proposing their own transparency rule, the feds make clear that they’re not pre-empting state transparency laws.
The attempts at transparency are aimed at pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).
The companies represent insurers in drug transactions.
The biggest three control about 80% of drug transactions, and each is part of a huge health conglomerate that also owns major insurers. In addition, the conglomerates own pharmacy operations, with one, CVS Health, owning the nation’s largest brick-and-mortar chain.
PBMs work on behalf of insurers in drug purchases. They decide which drugs are covered, and often extract large, non-transparent rebates from drugmakers in exchange for covering their products.
PBMs also create pharmacy networks and determine how much to reimburse them for what they sell.
The companies claim that PBMs are the one link in the drug-supply chain aimed at bringing costs down.
However, inflation in drug prices has far outpaced that in the general economy since the PBMs arose. And research has shown that the current rebate system increases list prices of drugs.
Read the full article in The Ohio Capital Journal.
Ohio Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Allow for Medically Assisted Death
Source: Ohio Capital Journal
A group of Ohio Democrats has introduced a bill that would legalize medically assisted death for terminally ill patients.
Michael Oser’s doctor told him he has six months to live. He has terminal cancer, first diagnosed in late 2021.
“I make this decision not in fear, not in panic, but with dignity, with my family’s support and with peace,” Oser said. “This is not about giving up.”
He says he isn’t worried about when he dies — but how.
“I don’t want the pain and suffering, but not necessarily for me, but for my family,” Oser said.
He doesn’t want his family to go through the pain that Jim O’Neil and his daughter did when he lost his wife, Addie, to cancer.
“She wished for a way to end her suffering on her terms, sparing herself the pain and her family the trauma of watching her slowly fade away,” Jim O’Neil said. “She did not have that option.”
They are supporting state Representative Eric Synenberg’s (D-Beachwood, OH) new bill that would allow for “medical aid in dying,” or physician-assisted death, often called suicide.
“It is a decision shared between them, their faith, their loved ones, and their medical professionals,” Rep. Synenberg said. “The question before us is whether we trust Ohioans to make that decision for themselves.”
The legislation authorizes terminally ill patients who live in Ohio, are at least 18, are given a prognosis of six months to live by two separate doctors, have mental health evaluations, and are competent to make health decisions, to take medication to end their life.
Read the full article in The Ohio Capital Journal.