122nd Legislature, Second Regular Session Accepted Bills By Broad Subject as of 12/2/2005

BROAD SUBJECT: Health and Human Services
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SPONSOR: Representative Brannigan of Portland
LR 2896ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-10-27
Resolve, To Ensure the Coordination and Effectiveness in the Provision of Outpatient and Medication Management Services under Maine's Noncategorical Waiver
SUMMARY
SPONSOR: Senator Brennan of Cumberland
LR 2629ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-10-27
An Act To Guarantee Access to Medically Necessary Medications during the Implementation of the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program
SUMMARY
This bill provides additional resources to the state agencies and contractors and other agencies involved in providing outreach to people who previously obtained drugs through MaineCare, the low-cost prescription drug program or other prescription drug programs. These resources will be used to help link those who are put at risk because they are unable to obtain medically necessary prescription drugs with those prescription drugs in a timely manner.
SPONSOR: Representative Campbell of Newfield
LR 2640ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-10-27
Resolve, Directing the Commissioner of Health and Human Services To Develop Strategies To Keep Senior Citizens Safe from Falls
SUMMARY
This bill develops public education strategies to reduce falls among older adults; improves the awareness, education and training of health professionals and providers to include falls risk assessment and targeted interventions; and intensifies services and promotes research to determine the most effective ways to prevent and treat falls.
SPONSOR: President Edmonds of Cumberland
LR 2791ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-10-27
Resolve, To Appropriately Reimburse and Ensure the Availability of Personal Care Assistant Services
SUMMARY
This bill would increase the pay rate for personal care assistants under the MaineCare program.
LR 2991ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-10-27
An Act To Improve Retention, Quality and Benefits for Direct Care Health Workers
SUMMARY
This bill increases reimbursements for Medicaid providers sufficient to provide health coverage for direct care workers in long-term care settings.
SPONSOR: Representative Fischer of Presque Isle
LR 2539ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-10-27
An Act To Streamline MaineCare Billing
SUMMARY
This bill would amend the payor-of-last-resort policy by requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to make payments to private insurers for services when MaineCare is the payor of only resort prior to filing a request for payment.
SPONSOR: Representative Gerzofsky of Brunswick
LR 2990ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-10-27
An Act To Designate the Department of Health and Human Services as the Sole Entity Entitled To Use the 2-1-1 Telephone Number
SUMMARY
This bill would establish 211 as the single phone number to call to obtain information on all services provided by or through the Department of Health and Human Services.
SPONSOR: Representative Grose of Woolwich
LR 2586ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-10-27
An Act To Amend the Law Regarding Smoking in Private Clubs
SUMMARY
This bill would amend the law that allows smoking in private clubs if a majority of the members vote to allow smoking to change the requirement to a majority of those ballots received.
SPONSOR: Representative Lerman of Augusta
LR 2832ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-11-28
An Act To Protect Children from the Onset of Autism
SUMMARY
This bill would protect children from the onset of autism by banning the use of thimerosol.
SPONSOR: Senator Mayo of Sagadahoc
LR 2468ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-10-27
An Act To Improve the MaineCare Program
SUMMARY
This bill seeks to create a process for carrying out the reform proposed by the Governor to the MaineCare Program. The process needs to include input from the Legislature, providers and consumers.
SPONSOR: Representative Miller of Somerville
LR 2772ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-10-27
An Act To Strengthen and Improve Review Procedures in the Certificate of Need Program
SUMMARY
This bill would propose further improvements to the certificate of need project review process. These improvements arise from the deliberations of the Commission to Study Maine's Hospitals. New procedures would include: lower dollar thresholds for project review, new project reporting requirements, additional methods for determining community need, clarified roles for other state agencies used in the review process and the conduct of certificate of need hearings as adjudicatory proceedings using an impartial hearing officer and APA standards.
SPONSOR: Representative Millett of Waterford
LR 2742ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-11-28
An Act To Improve Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Services
SUMMARY
This bill would improve substance abuse rehabilitation services by creating a process to involve local communities in the licensing process.
SPONSOR: Senator Mitchell of Kennebec
LR 2910ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-11-28
An Act To Establish a Child Advocate Position in the Disability Rights Center
SUMMARY
This bill would create a position of child advocate in the Disability Rights Center.
SPONSOR: Representative Pingree of North Haven
LR 3029ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-10-27
An Act To Maintain Prescription Drug Benefits for Seniors and People with Disabilities
SUMMARY
This bill would require the Department of Health and Human Services to continue to provide the same level of pharmacy services to MaineCare members, members in the drugs for the elderly program and those in the AIDS Drug Assistance Program who are also eligible for the new Medicare Part D benefit at no greater cost than members pay for those services now.
SPONSOR: Senator Plowman of Penobscot
LR 2574ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-10-27
An Act To Allow the Department of Health and Human Services To Locate Parents Who Are Delinquent in Child Support Payments through Information Related to Cellular Telephones
SUMMARY
This bill allows the Department of Health and Human Services to locate parents who are delinquent in child support payments through information in the possession of wireless service providers.
SPONSOR: Speaker Richardson, J of Brunswick
LR 2603ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-10-27
An Act To Enhance Health Care Safety
SUMMARY
This bill creates a Hospital Infections Disclosure Act to improve infection rates.
LR 2750ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-10-27
An Act To Ensure Appropriate Reimbursement of Rising Energy Costs for Long-term Care Facilities
SUMMARY
This bill would require the Department of Health and Human Services to amend its principles of reimbursement for long-term care facilities to provide proper recognition of rapidly rising energy costs.
SPONSOR: Senator Rosen, R of Hancock
LR 2677ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-11-28
An Act To Conform the Certificate of Need Law to Industry Standards
SUMMARY
This bill would prohibit the State from disallowing reasonable construction contingency budgeting that is consistent with industry standards in a certificate of need application.
SPONSOR: Representative Schatz of Blue Hill
LR 2967ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-10-27
An Act To Streamline Criteria for Municipal General Assistance for Heating and Utility Assistance
SUMMARY
This bill would streamline criteria for municipal general assistance for heating and utility assistance.
SPONSOR: Senator Sullivan of York
LR 2630ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-10-27
An Act Permitting the Recycling of Unused Prescription Drugs
SUMMARY
This bill would establish a prescription drug recycling program or repository for unused medications to be distributed to the needy.
SPONSOR: Representative Thompson of China
LR 2475ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-11-28
An Act To Clarify Prescription Drug Labels
SUMMARY
This bill would require that pharmacies include on prescription bottle labels the name of the medication that was written on the doctor's prescription. In this way, if the pharmacy fills the prescription with a generic drug, the patient will be able to identify the medication and take the medication in accordance with the doctor's instructions.
SPONSOR: Senator Turner of Cumberland
LR 2647ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-10-27
An Act To Clarify the Workplace Smoking Laws
SUMMARY
This bill would amend the law regarding smoking in private clubs.
SPONSOR: Representative Tuttle of Sanford
LR 2609ACCEPTED DATE: 2005-11-28
An Act To Increase Wheelchair Van Services Reimbursement Rates
SUMMARY
This bill increases the wheelchair reimbursement rate under MaineCare.

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