The Senate Health and Human Resources Committee met Thursday afternoon to discuss Senate Bills 518, 544, and 524.
Senate Bill 518 would require health insurance providers to remove cost-sharing for certain breast examinations.
This bill would prohibit insurance providers from imposing deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, or other similar out-of-pocket expenses for diagnostic and supplemental breast examinations.
Supplemental breast examinations are defined in the legislation as medically necessary and clinically appropriate examinations using breast MRI and ultrasounds.
Such examinations are provided when a patient is receiving a follow-up exam for medical reasoning such as breast symptoms, abnormal screening, or a high-risk assessment outside of routine.
This legislation aims to release individuals from financial barriers who need follow-up or additional breast examinations.
The bill was reported to the floor with a recommendation of passage, first being referred to the committee on Finance.
Senate Bill 544 would provide kinship parents with temporary subsidy equal payment of a foster parent.
The subsidy payment becomes effective within 30 days of initial placement and will continue for no more than six months. If the kinship parent is not certified at the end of the six-month period, the payment is no longer available.
The kinship parent would also have to be deemed eligible before receiving payments, such as passing a background check. Specifics for eligibility and payments would be in new code: §49-2-815 under the Temporary increase in kinship payment subsidy section.
The bill was reported to the floor with a recommendation of passage, first being referred to the committee on Finance.
Senate Bill 524 would require monthly meetings of county entities to review child welfare services and improve coordination among local agencies.
The meetings would address inter-agent concerns and ensure timely responses to child abuse and neglect.
The bill was reported to the Senate with a recommendation of passage, first being referred to the committee on Finance.
Following the advancement of bills, the committee then discussed the Senate Health and Human Resources Committee, forming an additional subcommittee.
Senator Brian Helton (R – Fayette, 09), chair of the Health and Human Resources Committee, announced the subcommittee will focus on the lack of recovery treatment programs for juveniles in the state of West Virginia.
He announced Sen. Scott Fuller (R – Wayne, 05) as the chair of the committee and Sen. T. Kevan Bartlett (R – Kanawha, 08) and Sen. Joey Gracia (D – Marion, 13) to serve on the committee as well.
“It’s a worthy cause for this committee to drive the results for the state of West Virginia to get our juveniles in a better position”, Sen. Helton stated.
