b'Lobbyist UpdateBy Bigley and Blikle, LLC BEHAVIORAL HEALTH FUNDINGPACEPs advocates have drafted ADVANCESadditional legislation that would require healthcare insurers to provide On October 4, the House passed a Fiscalreimbursement for physician-to-Code bill containing authorization forphysician consultations.Although the already appropriated $100 millionmany commercial and Blue Plans in behavioral health funding.HB 1300operating in Pennsylvania provide such received a bipartisan vote of 12182. coverage, the practice is not uniform The Senate will receive and refer theacross all insurers. PACEPs legislation is legislation to committee during theexpected to be introduced in the House October 16 week.Its fate in the Senatebefore the holiday break in December.is to be determined.As originally drafted, SB 739 contained Jonathan Bigley As noted, the Fiscal Code provideslanguage that would have prohibited Partner, Bigley & Blikle authorization for state agencies tohealthcare insurers from providing spend appropriated funds.It is areimbursement for provider-to-necessary budget-related bill for aprovider consultations. Knowing that complete state budget. HB 1300 wasprovider-to-provider consultations loaded up with many Democraticare vital to Emergency Medicine, past priorities and a few initiatives favoredpresident Chadd Kraus, MD flagged this by the Senate Republicans. Whetherissue for advocacy action.The B & B the bills House passage leads toTeam drafted corrective language and genuine budget negotiations amongsuccessfully lobbied Senator Vogels the majority parties and the Governorsand the Senate Banking and Insurance Office is yet to be seen. Committees staff for its inclusion. We anticipate SB 739 will receive Senate TELEMEDICINE INCHESFinal Passage in the fall. FORWARD/E-CONSULTATION LEGISLATION TO BEVENKAT MEDICAL DEBT RELIEF INTRODUCEDFINDS A SECOND LEGISLATIVE SB 739, Senator Elder Vogels (R,VEHICLEBeaver) Telemedicine legislation,Representative and former PACEP moved from the Senate Calendar to thepresident Arvind Venkats Pennsylvania Appropriations Committee for a fiscalMedical Debt Repayment Program review on October 4. This is a necessarywas inserted into a Fiscal Code bill that precursor to Senate Final Passagepassed the House of Representatives for the bill.Through PACEPs efforts,on October 4. A budget-related bill, the language prohibiting healthcare insurerFiscal Code authorizes state agencies reimbursement for physician-to- to expend funds that are appropriated physician consultations was struck fromin the General Appropriations or state the legislation. We anticipate SB 739budget bill. The Medical Debt Repayment will receive Senate Final Passage beforeProgram insertion into the Fiscal the fall session ends in December. Code vehicle, HB 1300, demonstrates 6 PACEP News | Fall 2023'