Happy leap week to everyone. On this leap week the House was a fury of
activity including hearings on medical marihuana and diabetes. Changes to
Michigan's Auto No-Fault continue to stay stagnant in the House which is a promising
sign. Information has surfaced that could tie to hold of the legislation to the
differences in fee schedules for physicians, MSMS will continue to monitor this
issue has it continues to develop. Last week the Legislature was primarily
concentrated on finding a funding solution to the Highland Park school
financial crisis but committees continued to do their work in the mean time.
House:
House Health Policy committee this week considered House Bill 5204 which requires the Department of Community Health to
research the financial and health impact of Diabetes on Michigan's citizens and
create an action plan to curb diabetes. The DCH testified against this bill
stating that they already do what the bill states but with the lack of
financial support from the legislature, the programs and measures to help curb
diabetes and obesity are stopping their efforts. Those that testified for the
plan stated that this was an excellent step forward in fighting the disease but
did not mention the efforts already put forward by the department. The
committee just took testimony on the legislation; a vote could come as early as
next week.
The House Judiciary committee continued taking testimony on House Bills 4851, 4853, and 4856 all three dealing with Medical Marihuana. MSMS is
concerned with House Bill 4851 which defines what a bona-fide patient/physician
relationship is. Included in the definition it would require for a relationship
to exist: a full history and review of the patients history including an
in-person physical examination, follow-up care is provided by the physician and
there is continuing contact with the physician who has certified for the use of
marihuana, and if given permission by the patient, notification is given to the
patient's primary care physician of certification, if the physician who
certifies is not the primary care physician of the patient. Testimony that was
heard by the committee yesterday was all against these changes stating that it
would take away from the patient their rights of privacy and cause inconvenience
for having multiple physicians. MSMS stands in support of the changes and feel
that is now gives authority to the Board of Medicine the ability to police the
actions taken under the act where before there was very limited authority to do
so. The committee will continue to hear testimony in the coming weeks.
Senate:
The Senate Health Policy committee met this week to discuss the Governor's
push for insurance coverage on Autism. They considered Senate Bills 414, 415, and 981 which provide the changes to the Insurance Code and the
Non Profit Health Care Corporation Act. MSMS supports moving forward with
covering Autism since we see it as a first step toward our ultimate goal of
mental health parity. The committee will continue to take testimony on the
issue in the coming weeks.
Appropriations:
Both House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees continued their hearings this week. The Senate heard the general overview from the DCH director, Olga Dazzo while the House heard testimony from Steve Finton, director of Michigan's Medicaid program. Both committees will be meeting in the coming weeks.
If you are looking for when committees are scheduled or what the State House
or Senate have on their agendas for the day go to http://www.msms.org/advocacy to check
out our calendar for all the upcoming legislative and MDPAC events.
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