Legislative Updates 2013
THE 2013 LEGISLATIVE SESSION BEGAN IN SALEM ON FEBRUARY 4, 2013— SENATE & HOUSE
DR. VERN SABOE, OCA LOBBYIST, GIVES AN UPDATED LEGISLATIVE REPORT AT EACH MONTHLY BOARD MEETING. BELOW IS A LIST OF SOME OF THE CURRENT LEGISLATION THAT IS BEING WATCHED AND REVIEWED BY OUR LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE.
CITY OF PORTLAND – FLUORIDE MEASURE #26-515 INFO — IS BELOW SENATE & HOUSE BILLS
Senate Bills:
Senate Bill 533 our workers comp bill that calls for a “come along provision” meaning if a current patient of your is involved in a work related injury and is subsequently enrolled into a close panel managed care organization (MCO) that you are not a member of you can continue to treat them. You must only follow the MCO’s guidelines and rules etc.
Senate Bill 240 our work comp bill that will require the workers’ comp bill that would require the workers’ comp division to utilize the most recent edition of the AMA Guidelines for Rating Permanent Impairment for injured workers. Oregon still bases a great deal of their impairment ratings on the antiquated 23 year old (1990) 3rd revised edition of the Guides which is not “evidence-based” and inappropriate. We introduced this bill to move the issue along as the “Management-Labor Advisory Committee” has been addressing this issue for four years now.
Senate Bill 387 -3 amendments this massage therapy bill which was to address the “massage parlors” which use massage as a front too prostitution rings. Our -3 amendments clarify that our chiropractic clinics will not be considered “massage facilities” and as such regulated by the Massage Board.
Senate Bill 302 this “SUPER BOARD” bill combines multiple boards together 11 or 12 including placing us with “Board of Cosmetology,” “State Mortuary and Cemetery Board” “and tattoo parlors .
*** (OCA IS OPPOSING THIS BILL – WE WANT TO KEEP THE OREGON BOARD OF CHIROPRACTIC EXAMINERS “OBCE” – as its own separate Board – to govern the Chiropractic Profession and licensure issues in Oregon) ***
Senate Bill 412 this bill places the Coordinated Care Organizations under public meetings law and requires them to be open to the public bringing transparency to the CCO Board meetings.
Senate Bill 132 this “vaccination bill” to remove the religious exemption – this bill now has 5 or 6 amendments to the original bill.
(The OCA WANTS TO PROTECT THE RELIGIOUS AND PHILOSOPHICAL EXEMPTION FOR ALL OREGONIANS – and promote “evidence based” information about vaccines – to the public at large).
If you want to gather more information about vaccines and possible side-effects you can go to the following websites:
The National Vaccine Information Center: www.nvic.org
Dr. Sherri Tenpenny: www.drtenpenny.com
Senate Bill 633 (and House Bills 2175 & 3177) GMO FOODS – these bills are relative to the concerns about “Genetically Modified” or engineered organisms/foods and the lack of any long term studies on their effects on humans and a lack of consensus within the scientific community. Senate Bill 633 – if passed, would not allow local counties to have their own restrictions on GMO grown in the county and mandates that on the State of Oregon can regulate this.
Senate Bill 122 this bill requires that health care services that will be paid for by the insurers within the coming new health care system coming to Oregon in 2014 must be based on the “coverage guidance” produced by the Health Evidence Review Commission, which I serve on. Chair of the Senate Health Committee called for a Work Group to work on this project .
Senate Bill 686 this bill would allow for the “unfair trade practices act” to apply to insurance companies who are currently the only private businesses exempt from the act here in Oregon. This would be something to watch with regards to the non-discrimination provisions in health care.
House Bills:
House Bill 2522 this is our “Coordinated Care Organizations” (CCOs) bill which clarifies the legislative intent of the Governor’s bill last session Senate Bill 1580 and Senate Bill 1509 and does the following three things; 1. Defines “network adequacy” as meaning each CCO network will have adequate numbers of all health care profession’s to the degree that a CCO member/patient can see the health care provider of their choice without undue waiting periods or other restrictions. 2. Varying reimbursement rates cannot be based solely on licensure or discipline, meaning the CCOs cannot pay you a lesser fee for the same service simply because you are a chiropractic physician and not a medical physician. 3. That CCOs must allow Chiropractic physicians, naturopathic physicians and nurse practitioners to act in the capacity of primary care providers, meaning that CCOs cannot disallow chiropractic physicians acting as primary care providers.
House Bill 2996 this bill is the acupuncturists bill regarding “dry needling” — that would limit DC’s from doing this.
House Bill 2848 Introduced by State Farm Auto Insurance company and would require providers to submit their bills within 60 days to be considered still reasonable and necessary. The rational appears to be a countermeasure to the “Auto PIP Mills” who hold bills until the burn through a great deal of the consumers minimum $15,000 auto PIP benefits then drop their bills.
House Bill 2849 Introduced by State Farm appears to be a true “make whole” doctrine for reimbursement of PIP subrogation claims.
House Bill 2821 this is a pro-consumer bill that extends the PIP benefits out to 2-years but doesn’t increase the amount of PIP benefits.
House Bill 2684 this physical therapist’s bill that would allow PT’s direct unlimited access to consumers.
House Bills 2175 & 3177 these bills are concerned with GMO foods.
- House bill 2175 = requires labeling of GMO products
- House bill 3177 = requires signage for all “genetically engineered fish” for consumers so they know what they are buying and will consume. {See other info above / under Senate Bill 633}
House Bill 3160 this bill would allow for the “unfair trade practices act” to apply to insurance companies who are currently the only private businesses exempt from the act here in Oregon.{See also Senate Bill 686}
Portland/Multnomah County Fluoride Measure # 26-151 – on May 21, 2013:
THE “OREGON CHIROPRACTIC ASSOCIATION” URGES EVERYONE TO “VOTE NO” – ON PORTLAND BALLOT MEASURE #26-151 – THAT WILL MANDATE ADDING FLUROIDE TO THE DRINKING WATER IN PORTLAND AS WELL AS SOME SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN ALLOWED TO VOTE ON THIS ISSUE IN GRESHAM AND TIGARD.
