In a significant move Tuesday, leaders in the Rhode Island Senate introduced a comprehensive 25-bill legislative package designed to enhance health care access and affordability across the state.
Unveiled as the Rhode Island HEALTH Initiative (Holistic Enhancement and Access Legislation for Total Health), the package focuses on four key pillars: consumer protection, provider availability and care quality, cost containment, and health system financial stability.
The announcement came from Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio, Senate Majority Leader Ryan W. Pearson, Senate Health & Human Services Committee Chairman Joshua Miller, Senate Environment & Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Alana M. DiMario, a licensed mental health counselor, and Senate Health & Human Services Committee Secretary Pamela J. Lauria, a primary care nurse practitioner.
Addressing the critical state of the health care system, President Ruggerio emphasized the urgent need for accessible and affordable care for all Rhode Islanders. He commended the collaborative efforts of the Senate in crafting this legislative package and acknowledged the challenges faced by community hospitals, including Fatima in his district.
Majority Leader Pearson highlighted the importance of taking a holistic approach to address the interconnected factors affecting the health care system. He expressed gratitude for the knowledgeable and dedicated Senate membership committed to addressing the challenges faced by the state.
Consumer Protection Measures
Chairwoman DiMario, drawing on her experience as a licensed mental health counselor, stressed the significance of consumer protection in the initiative. The consumer protection measures include:
- Hospital determination of Medicare & Medicaid eligibility for uninsured patients
- State purchase of medical debt through ARPA funding
- Prohibition on medical debt reporting to credit bureaus
- Medical debt interest rate cap
- Prohibition on medical debt attachments
- Surprise billing protections for ambulance services
Provider Availability & Care Quality Improvements
Senator Lauria, a primary care nurse practitioner, addressed the shortage of health care providers as a pressing concern. The measures to enhance provider availability and care quality include:
- Enhanced Curriculum & Clinical Training
- Primary Care Scholarship Program
- Medicaid reimbursement for mental health intern work
- Uniform Telehealth Act
- Social Work Interstate Licensure Compact
- Counseling Compact
- Audiology Compact
- Physician Assistant Compact
- Occupational Therapy Compact
- NCLEX pending exemption
- Physical therapy licensing
Cost Containment Strategies
Committee Chairman Miller highlighted the complexity of health care policy and the importance of cost containment. The cost containment measures include:
- Creation of a drug affordability commission
- Pharma Coupons
- Separate NPI for off-site procedures
- Price transparency
Health System Financial Stability
Leader Pearson emphasized the need for overall financial stability in the health care system. The measures to ensure financial stability include:
- OHIC dual mandate
- Dental medical loss ratio
- Adding primary care to rate review
- Low-income drug program
The legislative package has garnered support from various stakeholders, including Debra Hurwitz, executive director of the Care Transformation Collaborative of RI, who praised the initiative’s efforts to address the primary care workforce shortage and enhance training opportunities for health care providers in Rhode Island.
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