Transcript Highlights:

• Some are self-insured, others have different Every city across the state of Idaho.
• Some are self-insured, others have different splits in premium costs between city and employee, their
• The Department of Administration, who manages the state insurance plan, tells me there are currently
• 27,875 employees insured in the state pool and a total of 65,618 people covered.
• I don't live in city limits, but I did hear one city gave their mayor insurance for life.

Committee: House State Affairs

Transcript Highlights:

• We get the documents from the insurance company or obtain them for the insurance company, and we put
• Mark Bender: We get the documents from the insurance company or obtain them for the insurance company
• Mark Bender: We get the documents from the insurance company or obtain them for the insurance company
• </c> and the title is put in the insurance and the title is put in the insurance company's<00:41:20.720
• them for the insurance company we obtain them for the insurance company and<00:41:30.640><c> we</c><

Committee: House Executive Departments and Administration

Transcript Highlights:

• , but it's not an insurance policy.
• ...pursue private deposit insurance, as opposed to just running their deposit insurance through the
• So, the deposits will still be insured whether they are insured federally through the national credit
• unions or, um, through a private insurance broker who is willing to cover this type of insurance. >>
• This meeting is adjourned. insured for depository insurance. So, insured for depository insurance.

Bills: HF3298 , SF3832 , HF3528 , HF3516 , HF3972 , HF4118

Committee: House Ways and Means

Transcript Highlights:

• and the Fund for Insurance Administration and Enforcement.
• for Insurance Administration and Enforcement.
• Assembly Bill 555 prohibits certain private health insurers from imposing a deductible, co-payment, co-insurance
• Prohibit certain private health insurers from imposing a deductible, co-payment, co-insurance, or other
• Revises provisions relating to insurance.

Transcript Highlights:

• Hospitals do this, systems do this, insurance companies do it.
• Part of this insurance might help with that.
• That issue could have been addressed, by the entire insurance industry.
• I are experiencing with our Medicare supplement insurance today.
• RX Pass is not insurance, and it's not a substitute for insurance, but these results demonstrate that

Bills: HB 107 , HB742 , HB1639 , HB1700 , HB2071 , HB2187 , HB2402 , HB2516 , HB3211 , HB4529 , HB5342 , HB694 , HB923 , HB4655 , HB107

Committee: Senate Health & Human Services

Summary: The committee heard testimony on a series of health and human services bills and left each one pending after public testimony. HB 4655 would expand financial literacy instruction for youth aging out of foster care to include credit scores, predatory lending, scams, banking, budgeting, and related consumer topics; the sponsor and Buckner International described the need to protect foster youth from financial pitfalls. HB 923 would add three public members and one physician to the Texas Medical Disclosure Panel; supporters said it would improve informed consent and patient voice, while a witness raised concerns about a House amendment requiring a physician majority for decisions and senators questioned scope-of-practice limits. HHSC said the panel is an independent body and the bill expressly bars it from changing scope of practice.

Transcript Highlights:

• My work on the farm and in crop insurance requires a similar focus.
• What are some ways that we can strengthen insurance options for specialty crop growers?
• It's true of the crop insurance agents that are partners with with farmers out there.
• We've got to fix crop insurance.
• We were, we want the insurance and there is minimal insurance and we asked USDA to be able to get more

Committee: Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee

Keywords: agriculture, avian flu, bipartisan farm bill, economic challenges, poultry, dairy, specialty crops

Summary: The committee meeting focused on crucial discussions surrounding the challenges faced by the agriculture sector, particularly concerning avian flu and its impact on poultry and dairy producers. Members provided insights into the economic struggles within the industry, emphasizing the need for a new bipartisan farm bill that addresses the diverse needs of specialty crop and livestock producers. Witnesses from various agricultural sectors spoke about their experiences, illustrating the high costs, regulatory burdens, and emerging diseases that threaten their operations. The meeting underscored a commitment to exploring solutions that will help maintain market stability and ensure food security.

Transcript Highlights:

• their employees and retirees for medical insurance and property and casualty insurance.
• </c> casualty insurance. casualty insurance.
• and health trust also with insurance and health trust also with medical<01:08:56.000><c> insurance.
• </c> medical insurance. medical insurance.
• </c> able to get um insured. able to get um insured.

Committee: Senate Finance

Transcript Highlights:

• He can't afford one because, you know, the cost of homes, the cost of insurance, the cost of everything
• HB 1343 related to insurance customer representatives.
• literacy course that introduces students to the foundational framework of property and casualty insurance
• The insurance workforce.
• Murphy, Florida Association of Insurance Agents, waves in support. Would you like to speak?

Transcript Highlights:

• The third bid was initially rejected because it provided $3 million in construction insurance while the
• The insurance issue has since been resolved, and the company has confirmed it will provide the required
• $5 million in construction insurance coverage.
• So Kyle will be available for any of the subcommittees that request it, but primarily the State Insurance
• So Kyle will be available for any of the subcommittees that request it, but primarily the State Insurance

Committee: All ALC-EXECUTIVE SUBCOMMITTEE

Transcript Highlights:

• </c><00:41:52.000><c> through</c> eligible for u health insurance through eligible for u health insurance
• </c> payments and any health insurance payments and any health insurance premiums<00:55:11.440><c> paid
• The health insurance rules can sometimes cause confusion.
• Um the health insurance there there are Um the health insurance there there are sometimes<00:56:39.359
• </c> institutions to offer health insurance institutions to offer health insurance to<00:59:59.520><c

Summary: The meeting began with quorum, approval of the prior minutes, and an announcement that the June meeting had been canceled and replaced by this combined May/June meeting; the next official PPOB meeting was announced for July 21 at 2:30. Staff then gave an overview of the Public Pension Oversight Board’s required actuarial audit process, explaining that House Bill 238 requires a review every five years of the retirement systems’ actuarial assumptions and methods, funded by the systems themselves. The presentation distinguished this audit from a financial or forensic audit, described the three possible audit levels (full replication, limited/spot review, or basic review), and noted that the last audit in 2021 was a level one performed by Milleman Consulting at a cost of about $190,000. Members discussed timing for the next audit cycle, with a request to LRC likely needed in July or August to target the June 30, 2026 valuation, and several members expressed interest in another level one review. Questions also addressed whether prior audits found major issues; staff said the 2021 review was generally clean but recommended more consistency in reporting and assumptions across systems. The committee then welcomed new staff and interns, including Odet Guanzi of KPPPA and Team Kentucky intern Amamira Bowman. Bo Barnes of the Teachers Retirement System presented an overview of the statutory framework for reemployment after retirement under KRS 161.605. He explained that the law is intended to let retirees return to help with staffing needs, do so in an actuarially sound way through required contributions, and keep TRS compliant with federal tax rules for a qualified plan under section 401(a). Barnes described the required breaks in service and earnings limits for retirees returning part-time or full-time, including the three-month or 12-month break depending on the employer, the 6,900-day limit, and the daily wage threshold based on years of service. He also noted a lightly used critical shortage program that allows school districts to hire retirees without a wage cap, while still observing the break-in-service rules. Members asked questions about who decides the scope and level of the actuarial audit, how the audit would treat leave balances and other benefit-related items, and whether the prior level one audit identified substantial problems. Staff said the committee would request the audit, but LRC would handle contracting, and that the audit scope could include items like sick leave and annual leave costs if requested. On the reemployment topic, Barnes emphasized that the rules are designed to avoid pre-arranged retire-and-return arrangements that could jeopardize TRS’s tax-qualified status. No formal votes were taken beyond approving the minutes, and the meeting concluded with the presentations and discussion of these pension oversight issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• Anywhere, offering much more than private insurance or the Medi-Cal managed care plans.
• We do not have a functioning health insurance market for people with private insurance.
• What happens if we do not shore up both the private insurance and our public insurance safety nets?
• And that's why I'm saying there is literally nothing for people with private insurance.
• No more plugging gaps for people with commercial insurance who can't get access.

Transcript Highlights:

• We do not have a functioning health insurance market for people with private insurance.
• What happens if we do not shore up both the private insurance and our public insurance safety nets?
• What happens if we do not shore up both the private insurance and our public insurance safety nets?
• And that's why I'm saying there is literally nothing for people with private insurance.
• No more plugging gaps for people with commercial insurance who can't get access.

Summary: The hearing focused first on behavioral health, especially serious mental illness and anosognosia, a condition described by witnesses as a neurological symptom that prevents people from recognizing they are ill. The chair framed the issue around families cycling through emergency rooms, jails, conservatorships, and short-term stabilization without lasting treatment, and warned that federal changes under H.R. 1 could reduce Medi-Cal funding and worsen access. Dawn Marie Anderson gave a personal account of her son’s long history of psychosis, homelessness, arrests, repeated jail and state hospital stays, and eventual stability when he received sustained medication and coordinated support. She argued that the system often treats the problem as criminal rather than medical and that voluntary programs and short-term services are not enough for people who lack insight into their illness. Other panelists, including representatives from the California Behavioral Health Association, Santa Barbara County Behavioral Health, and the County Behavioral Health Directors Association, agreed that anosognosia is not denial or noncompliance and said the system needs long-term, coordinated care, including assertive community treatment, mobile crisis, supportive housing, medication support, and stronger handoffs between county and managed care systems. They said CalAIM and other reforms have improved some coordination, but significant gaps remain, especially for people with serious mental illness, for those in jail or locked settings, and for people with private insurance, which witnesses said often offers little meaningful coverage for early psychosis or intensive behavioral health services. Several witnesses urged the Legislature to protect Medi-Cal, shore up county safety-net services, and invest in training and family engagement. The committee then turned to the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, with a focus on the virtual services platforms BrightLife Kids and Soluna and the CYBHI fee schedule. DHCS reported strong growth in app registrations, coaching sessions, referrals, and positive user outcomes, saying the platforms provide free, culturally responsive, early-intervention support statewide and help connect users to higher levels of care when needed. On the fee schedule, DHCS said more than 500 LEAs, colleges, universities, and school-linked providers are participating, 181 LEAs have submitted claims, and $9.6 million has been reimbursed to date, with 41,556 students represented in claims. The chair and several members criticized the pace of implementation and the amount of money spent relative to reimbursement levels, saying the Legislature had requested data earlier and that the return on investment still appeared low. DHCS responded that many claims are still being submitted, that 70% of denials are correctable, that $400 million in capacity grants has been distributed locally, and that reimbursement is increasing rapidly as more districts come online. Public comment included a rural county behavioral health director who said private insurance denials leave counties with significant uncompensated work, especially for unlicensed staff providing case management and mobile crisis services.

Transcript Highlights:

• My second child was taken off the insurance in 2024, and Covered California doubled our rates to 540.
• I feel like I'm saying that a lot on this committee, but I feel like insurance companies don't have as
• Covered California is the place where consumers can purchase quality, comprehensive health insurance
• County indigent care programs are not health insurance. It's not comprehensive insurance coverage.
• So when enrollment drops and people lose coverage and insurance, it doesn't hurt just that individual

Committee: House Health

Transcript Highlights:

• Disputed or excessive claims can also increase litigation and contribute to higher insurance premiums
• You think you're calling your insurance, but you're actually speaking to Safelite.
• Your insurance companies, Your insurance companies, multiple insurance companies, work with Safelite
• And the reason why is because there are different types of insurance.
• extended insurance warranties.

Summary: The committee heard several bills focused on domestic violence protections, pay equity enforcement, Jewish demographic data collection, court transparency, auto glass insurance practices, pet policy disclosure for renters, and civil rights accountability for federal officers. SB 99 would require courts and law enforcement to better recognize military protective orders in domestic violence cases; supporters from the Department of Defense and military organizations said it would close jurisdictional gaps for military families, and the bill passed to Public Safety. SB 1237 would increase penalties for repeat noncompliance with California pay data reporting laws; supporters said stronger enforcement is needed to address persistent wage gaps, and the bill passed to Appropriations. SB 1387 would allow Jewish identity to be reported as an ethnic category in state demographic data; supporters said better data would improve policy and anti-discrimination efforts, while opponents argued the bill was unnecessary or divisive, and it passed to Privacy. SB 932 would require assignees filing civil actions to identify the original party in the case caption; supporters framed it as a transparency measure, and it passed to Judiciary/Appropriations on call. The committee also took up SB 98, which would regulate auto glass insurance claims by restricting assignment of benefits, requiring clearer estimates and invoices, and limiting inducements to consumers. The sponsor and NICB said the bill would curb fraud and unsafe repairs, while independent glass shops and industry groups argued it could reduce consumer choice and favor insurer-aligned networks; the bill passed to Appropriations. SB 1296 would require landlords to disclose pet policies before collecting application fees and provide refunds if nondisclosure materially affected an applicant’s decision; supporters said it would save renters time and money, while rental housing representatives objected to a provision limiting eviction based solely on failure to sign a pet addendum. The bill passed to Appropriations. Finally, SB 747, the No Kings Act, would create a California cause of action allowing people to sue federal officers for constitutional violations using standards similar to Section 1983. Senator Wiener and a witness who said he was unlawfully detained by Border Patrol argued the bill is needed because federal officers currently lack comparable accountability after the Supreme Court narrowed Bivens remedies. Law enforcement groups opposed the bill, warning that the qualified immunity language is unclear, could create a separate California standard, and might expose officers and governments to retroactive litigation; members discussed possible amendments on qualified immunity and retroactivity, and the bill was moved forward with an urgency amendment while negotiations continued.

Transcript Highlights:

• We must require health insurance companies, MassHealth, the Group Insurance Commission, and commercial
• health insurance to cover community health worker services.
• We must require health insurance companies, MassHealth, the Group Insurance Commission, and commercial
• health insurance to cover community health worker services.
• One, it requires MassHealth, health insurance companies, and the GIC to cover reimbursement.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Health

Summary: The committee hearing covered a wide range of public health bills, with much of the testimony focused on two major themes: expanding access to care and stabilizing health-related workforces and services. On House 2364, an act relative to medical health and fitness facilities, representatives from Dedham Health and Athletic Club argued for a pilot program recognizing supervised exercise as medicine, saying it could improve outcomes for chronic disease, fall prevention, and mental health while reducing costs. On House/Senate bills concerning community health workers (H. 359/S. 251), multiple witnesses from MACHW, Health Care for All, MHA, Cambridge Health Alliance, Mass General Brigham, Boston Children’s Hospital, Asian Women for Health, and the City of Somerville described CHWs as essential for navigation, trust-building, language access, and addressing social needs, and urged reimbursement by MassHealth, the GIC, and private insurers, along with workforce development measures. One pediatric neurologist also told the committee that losing grant-funded CHW support led to more avoidable ER visits and threatened clinic operations. The committee also heard extensive testimony on hospital closures and essential services. Witnesses including Dr. Alan Sager, MNA President Katie Murphy, nurses from Brockton Hospital and Providence Behavioral Health, and local officials and legislators from Norwood described the loss of hospitals and service lines, especially maternity, pediatric, and behavioral health care, and argued current closure processes are too weak to protect communities. They supported bills such as H. 2460/S. 1503 and H. 2534/S. 1574, which would require earlier notice, community input, stronger state oversight, possible receivership, and limits on reopening or expanding after closures. Testimony emphasized the impact of Steward’s bankruptcy, the closures of Carney and Neshoba Valley, and the need to preserve access to essential services in underserved areas. Several end-of-life and professional regulation bills were also discussed. On H. 2436, Representative Omar Gomez and funeral industry witnesses supported eliminating Office of the Chief Medical Examiner fees for the removal of a child’s body in cases involving children five and under, describing the bill as a small but important relief for grieving families. On H. 2444 and related Senate bills, cemetery and consumer advocates supported legalizing alkaline hydrolysis and natural organic reduction as environmentally friendly after-death options, while cemetery representatives opposed H. 2360, which would allow funeral establishments to operate crematories, arguing cemeteries should retain that role. The committee also heard support for H. 2382, which would exempt dentists and oral surgeons from a new office-based surgical center framework, and for H. 2461, which would create hospital efficiency standards; employers and retailers backed that bill as a way to address rising health care costs. Finally, the committee heard testimony on autism services and hospital governance. On S. 1414, behavior analysts and school representatives said Massachusetts already licenses assistant-level ABA providers but MassHealth does not reimburse them, causing long waitlists and limiting school and family access; an actuary testified that a three-tier ABA reimbursement model could reduce MassHealth costs by up to 6% per child served. Senator Lovely also testified in support of S. 1572, which would require at least one registered nurse on each acute care hospital governing board, arguing nurses’ frontline perspective would improve quality and retention. No votes were taken in the hearing excerpt, but many witnesses urged favorable reports on their respective bills.

Transcript Highlights:

• We will call the State Insurance Programs Oversight Subcommittee to order for June 17th.
• Able Mutual Insurance Company contract. Okay, so I will try to do a better job on this one.
• This is module one for the health insurance and medical management administration of our program.
• They would act as our subrogation firm for the property insurance program.
• This is our actuarial provider for the property insurance program.

Committee: All ALC-STATE INSURANCE PROGRAMS OVERSIGHT SUBCOMMITTEE

Summary: The State Insurance Programs Oversight Subcommittee met on June 17 and reviewed a series of Employee Benefits Division and Office of Property Risk items. The committee approved formulary changes for March and April that favored lower-cost generics, removed some new-to-market drugs from coverage pending more evidence, and made maintenance changes to migraine and diabetes medications. Members also approved a cell and gene therapy policy that would route those therapies through prior authorization rather than automatic coverage; officials said the process should not delay urgent cases and that no current members would be affected. The committee then reviewed a UAMS pharmacy benefit consultant contract amendment, but after extended discussion about the written scope and dollar amounts, the motion was approved with the understanding that any use of optional services would return to the committee for further review. The committee also reviewed the U.S. Able Mutual/Blue Advantage third-party administration contract and the CompSack employee assistance program contract, which officials said would reduce per-member costs and add services. The subcommittee approved proposed 2027 rates for state employees and public employees, with a 9.8% increase for state employees and a 4.9% increase for public school employees. Officials also reported that the UnitedHealthcare rebid was in its final negotiation stage and would return in August, with medical and pharmacy coverage split as previously recommended. In response to questions, the director said the division was considering broader preventive-care offerings, including weight-loss drug coverage, but would proceed cautiously and with strong utilization controls and holistic support if such a program were adopted. On the property risk side, the committee reviewed permanent rules making prior temporary rules permanent, a contingency-fee subrogation contract, and renewals for claims management, actuarial services, and investment management. Members raised concerns about Sedgwick’s claim-adjustment timeliness and communication with school districts after severe weather events; officials said performance guarantees and communication expectations had been strengthened, but the renewal was kept at three years for continuity. Finally, the committee approved 2026-27 captive insurance program rates, which included no change to minimum deductibles, a 10% overall rate reduction, and bucketed rate changes by entity type. Officials said the captive program was working as intended, with improved actuarial support and claims experience, and the meeting adjourned after the approvals.

Transcript Highlights:

• rate by commercial insurance.
• the availability of insurance in our state.
• </c><00:56:01.400><c> is</c> total cost of the health insurance is total cost of the health insurance
• It's insurance for the insurance.
• It's insurance for the insurance. Yes, okay.

Summary: The House Finance Division III held an informational hearing on Medicaid, Medicare, Choices for Independence, and related financing, while postponing nursing facility financing and the county cap discussion to a later date. DHHS officials Ann Landry, Jonathan Ballard, and Medicaid Director Henry Litman provided an overview of Medicaid’s role, noting it is a federal-state partnership with state-specific eligibility and benefits, and emphasizing that Medicaid is a major funding and programmatic support for other DHHS initiatives. They also distinguished Medicaid from Medicare and explained that Medicaid funding is not the same as grant funding, though some providers may also receive federal grants through other channels. The presentation focused on New Hampshire’s relatively small Medicaid program and why it differs from national averages. Officials said about 184,000 residents are covered, roughly one in seven Granite Staters compared with one in five nationally, and attributed the difference largely to the state’s higher per-capita income and older population. They highlighted that about 65% of Medicaid-enrolled adults in New Hampshire are working, that only 22% of births are covered by Medicaid versus 42% nationally, and that the state’s uninsured rate is lower than the national rate. Members asked about covered services, income limits, federal matching rates, and the names of optional eligibility groups; staff explained that New Hampshire offers the optional groups discussed, with matching rates varying by category, including 90% for Granite Advantage and certain other groups, and 65% for children above the required level. A substantial portion of the hearing covered eligibility rules and recent policy changes. Officials reviewed the history of Medicaid, including HCBS waivers, the CFI program, Katie Beckett, the Olmstead decision, the ACA, and the end of continuous enrollment after the public health emergency. They also discussed the 2023 legislative expansion of postpartum coverage from 60 days to 12 months and child eligibility changes. In response to questions, DHHS said it is tracking utilization and costs for the postpartum expansion and reported that many maternal deaths occur after the prior 60-day coverage period, often involving substance use disorder or suicide; they said the longer coverage is intended to improve access to treatment and prevention. The committee also walked through household-income examples, clarified that Medicaid eligibility is based on household income and categorical rules, and confirmed that Granite Advantage ends at 138% of the federal poverty level unless another categorical basis applies. No votes were taken, and the hearing remained informational.

Transcript Highlights:

• I already touched on the health insurance area.
• health insurance plan.
• One example was the area of health insurance and then local of health insurance and then local revenues
• Because we're an entitlement district and insured one.
• We can't use that as an insurance piece later.

Committee: Joint Select Committee on School Finance Recalibration

Transcript Highlights:

• Our county is self-insured, and we have a statute, 471.617, that allows cities, counties, and school
• districts to become self-insured and to pool together.
• ><c> is</c><00:19:16.600><c> self-insured,</c> pool.
• Our county is self-insured, pool.
• to become self-insured and and to<00:19:29.000><c> pool</c><00:19:29.240><c> together.

Transcript Highlights:

• And she said, well, that prescription with insurance was $2,500.
• And we didn't use insurance.
• They will be able to get insurance.
• We want a stable insurance market for patient access.
• that they can't insure Virginians if we were to pass this, they're insuring in those states that have