What is the impact to health insurance cost?

SENATE committee amendment 1 [LINK] adds: No health insurance issuer shall deny coverage of proton therapy or proton beam therapy for the treatment of cancer as recommended by the American Society for Radiation Oncology practice guidelines.

Requires health insurers to provide coverage for proton therapy treatment for cancer patients in Louisiana.

Key Provisions: 

- Health insurers must cover proton therapy or proton beam therapy when recommended by nationally recognized clinical practice guidelines for diagnosing, treating, managing, restaging, or ongoing monitoring of cancer. 

- Insurers cannot require additional imaging tests not recommended by these guidelines as a condition to receiving proton therapy. 

- Coverage can include standard deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments consistent with the patient's insurance plan. 

- Does not apply to limited benefit or short-term insurance plans of less than 12 months duration. 

- Effective for new or renewed insurance policies on or after January 1, 2026; all existing policies must comply by their renewal date, but no later than January 1, 2026. 

- Effective date of legislation is August 1, 2025.

SENATE committee amendment 3 [LINK] excludes profits interest issued by partnership-taxed entities from state laws on final wage payments and wage deduction limits. It means employers don’t have to treat profits interest like regular wages when someone leaves a job.

Provides relative to wage payments, employer notification obligations, and liability for unpaid wages. It clarifies definitions, sets payment timelines, and addresses penalties for employers' failure to pay wages timely or to clearly inform employees and laborers of payment terms.

Key Provisions: 

- Clarifies employers must pay wages due upon termination by the next regular payday or within 15 days, whichever is earlier. 

- Requires employers to explicitly inform laborers (defined as any employed individual) of their pay rate, method, and frequency upon hiring and whenever changes occur. 

- Prohibits fines against employee wages except when employees negligently or intentionally damage property or are guilty of theft, limiting fines strictly to the actual damages incurred. 

- Adds the definition of "laborer" to encompass all employed individuals. 

Effective date: August 1, 2025.

SENATE floor amendment sets [LINK] clarified expansion of admin and managerial terms

Updates definitions related to health care and medical malpractice, broadening the terms to clearly include administrative, managerial, or support activities necessary for medical care delivery. It also aligns definitions across statutes related to medical malpractice and life-sustaining procedures.

Key Provisions: 

- Expands "health care" to explicitly include administrative and managerial tasks associated with patient care.

- Revises the definition of "health care provider," aligning it across statutes governing malpractice and life-sustaining procedures.

- Clarifies "malpractice" to include acts in administrative, managerial, or supporting capacities linked to patient treatment.

Effective date: August 1, 2025.

HOUSE committee amendments [LINK] clarify that an embryo is deemed nonviable if it fails to develop further within 72 hours of fertilization. Additionally, they specify that liability protections provided by the bill extend to providers of both goods and services related to in vitro fertilization.

SENATE floor amendments technical

SENATE committee amendments [LINK] define "human embryo" specifically for purposes of the bill as a fertilized human ovum, composed of living human cells and genetic material. They clarify when rights attach to an embryo—upon implantation in the womb or determination of nonviability. Amendments also state explicitly that an embryo cannot be owned and assign decision-making authority solely to intended parents, not to facilities or physicians. Additionally, the amendments impose a high duty of care on physicians, invalidate any contract provision that allows for intentional destruction of embryos, and specify criminal negligence as a standard of liability for certain acts involving embryos.

Updates and clarifies Louisiana law regarding the status, use, and legal protections of in vitro fertilized human embryos.

Key Provisions: 

- Defines "in vitro fertilized human embryo" and presumes viability unless proven otherwise. 

- Reaffirms that viable embryos are juridical persons but limits their legal status until implantation or birth. 

- Prohibits destruction of viable embryos and bans their use for research or commercial sale. 

- Grants control over embryos to the patient and allows donation to individuals (not just married couples). 

- Requires IVF procedures be conducted by qualified physicians in accredited facilities. 

- Provides criminal immunity to providers for standard IVF procedures unless criminal intent is involved. 

- Requires civil claims against providers to follow the Medical Malpractice Act or applicable standards of care. 

- States that inheritance rights only attach if the embryo results in live birth. 

- Disputes over embryos are resolved based on agreements, or in court using the best interest standard. 

- Effective August 1, 2025.

SENATE committee amendments [LINK] add exemptions for private projects, protect the authority of local entities like levee districts and ports, define “integrated” project planning, create an appeal process for denied projects, and allow emergency projects to proceed with the governor’s approval before formal plan inclusion.

Creates the Coordinated Use of Resources for Recreation, Economy, Navigation, and Transportation (CURRENT) Authority. This authority would oversee integrated projects in Louisiana's upland areas, focusing on flood control, risk reduction, navigation, and water resource management.

Key provisions of the bill include:

• Establishment of the CURRENT Authority Board: The board would have jurisdiction over integrated projects in upland areas, similar to the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Board's role in coastal areas.
• Development of Integrated Plans: The authority would create and implement comprehensive plans for the upland region addressing recreation, economic development, navigation, and transportation.
• Collaboration with Local Entities: The authority would provide engineering, economic, and advisory services to local governments, levee districts, ports, and other special districts to coordinate resource management efforts.

The legislation also outlines the authority's structure, responsibilities, and its relationship with existing state departments and agencies.

Urges the U.S. Congress to reform insurance prior authorization requirements that delay patient care and burden healthcare providers.

Key Provisions:

• Requests federal legislation to set standardized, timely decision timelines for prior authorization.
• Seeks to reduce administrative burdens on healthcare providers.
• Calls for eliminating prior authorization for generic medications.
• Recommends establishing a clear and effective appeals process for denials.
• Encourages regulations ensuring healthcare decisions are made by medical professionals, not insurers.
• Proposes oversight and transparency mechanisms to ensure insurer compliance with authorization rules.