Transcript Highlights:

• <01:09:02.560> insurance lowerc cost, higher deductible insurance lowerc cost, higher deductible
• This plan has an $8,500 individual deductible with a maximum out-of-pocket of $8,500 as well. silver
• previous plan had a $4,000 deductible previous plan had a $4,000 deductible with<01:56:52.159>
• ,<01:57:28.000> out<01:57:28.239> of um that have high deductibles, out of um that
• have high deductibles, out of pockets,<01:57:29.199> and<01:57:29.599> particularly<01:

Keywords: 918, senate, all

Summary: The Select Subcommittee first took up adoption of three previously prepared nonpartisan committee summary reports dated October 15, November 13, and November 21. Senator Rasmusson objected to the lack of advance notice about the day’s testifiers and criticized the practice of having nonpartisan staff summarize what he described as a partisan agenda. The chair responded that the committee’s purpose is to gather information, not hear bills, and that the summaries were intended as neutral resources for the Senate. Senator Coopek moved adoption, the motion was opposed by Rasmusson and another member, and the motion passed. The committee then turned to the day’s hearing on federal impacts on Minnesota, with the chair focusing on federal funding threats and the effect of congressional budget actions on health care, especially in greater Minnesota. The first presentation came from the Minnesota Department of Health on the state’s rural health transformation work. Assistant Commissioner Carol Broom introduced the team and described the rural hospital transformation program as a major opportunity to invest in rural health, while acknowledging longstanding challenges such as demographics, transportation barriers, and the financing of care. Nitha Moibi outlined the state’s rural health chart book and data showing an aging population, workforce shortages, and many health professional shortage areas, and described proposed strategies including workforce pipelines, bridge payments for low-volume birth hospitals, telehealth access points, mental health urgent care, and chronic disease prevention. Acting Assistant Commissioner Anna Ashby of the Minnesota Management and Budget office explained the state’s application to CMS for the Rural Health Transformation Program, which was created in federal law and awarded Minnesota just over $193 million for federal fiscal year 2026. She said the application was shaped by public comments, stakeholder meetings, and legislative outreach, and included initiatives on preventive care, workforce, care access, behavioral health, and provider financial stability. She also reviewed implementation constraints, including a January 30 revised budget deadline, limits on administrative spending, restrictions on using funds to offset Medicaid losses, and the need to show measurable progress to remain eligible for future funding. The presentation noted that most year-one funding would go to rural hospitals, with additional support for federally qualified health centers, community mental health centers, tribal partners, and technical assistance.

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:08:28.400> that<00:08:28.840> 4% that I would be able to deduct that 4% that I
• would be able to deduct that 4% so<00:08:31.000> I<00:08:31.120> wrote<00:08:31.479>
• <00:08:41.839> that<00:08:42.200> 4% or not indeed if I could deduct that 4% or not
• so then um eligible for that deduction so then um began<00:09:20.120> the<00:09:20.279> the
• be a eligible to deduct be a eligible to deduct um<00:10:00.440> that<00:10:01.079> amount

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Right now, some employers deduct credit card processing fees from employee tips, meaning workers are
• employee the full amount of the gratuity that the patron indicates on the credit card slip with no deductions

Transcript Highlights:

• Current agreements made between donors and nonprofit 501c3 organizations for which the donor got a tax deduction
• They would never be able to get the money back because they've already had a tax deduction.
• process that they're giving over their funds to be used in these programs in order to get a tax deduction
• They get a charitable deduction on their taxes for giving that money, and that's the reason they get
• a deduction.

Bills: SB65, SB248, SB330, SB378, SB844, SB1330, SB1410, SB1475, SB1476, SB1565, SB1618, SB1623, SJR39, SJR47, SB2084, SB1655, SB1679, SB2174, SB1775, SB1873, SB1204, SB1884, SB1916, SB1937, SB1447, SB1500, SB2007, SB2074, SB1944, SB2018, SB1984, SB2026, SB2045, SB2049, SB2062, SB2112, SB2118, SB2127, SB2134, SB2135, SB2139, SB2154, SB1195

Keywords: SB65, naloxone, Narcan, opioid overdose, overdose reversal, opioid antagonist, emergency opioid antagonist, substance abuse services, harm reduction, public health, overdose prevention, good samaritan, civil immunity, criminal immunity, controlled substances, addiction treatment, fentanyl, opioid crisis, school overdose response, first aid

Transcript Highlights:

• deductible upfront. And we couldn't. deductible upfront. And we couldn't.
• I don't use it very often because it costs a lot to use it cuz I have a high deductible plan.
• I don't use it very often because it costs a lot to use it cuz I have a high deductible plan.
• I don't use it very often because it costs a lot to use it cuz I have a high deductible plan.
• use it cuz I have a high deductible use it cuz I have a high deductible plan. plan. plan.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• or third-party payment, discount voucher, coupon, or financial assistance toward an enrollee's deductible
• out-of-pocket maximum under the health coverage plan for anti-cancer medications as part of high-deductible

Bills: HB591, HB766

Keywords: family leave, insurance, paid leave, employment benefits, caregiver support, cancer treatment, anti-cancer medications, health insurance, copayment, cost-sharing, health policy, 974, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• or third-party payment, discount voucher, coupon, or financial assistance toward an enrollee's deductible
• out-of-pocket maximum under the health coverage plan for anti-cancer medications as part of high-deductible

Summary: The Senate Insurance Committee met on May 20, confirmed a quorum, and approved the May 13 minutes. The first bill heard was House Bill 591, which would create the Paid Family Leave Insurance Act as a voluntary private-market insurance option for employers, with no mandate, state program, or taxpayer cost. Senator Bass presented the bill, offered technical amendments, and after brief questions about why the framework was needed, the committee adopted the amendments and reported the bill favorably with amendments. The committee then took up House Bill 76, dealing with coverage for orally administered anti-cancer medications. Representative Amy Freeman and former Representative Julie Stokes explained that the bill updates Louisiana’s oral chemotherapy coverage law, which had not been revised since 2012, and addresses insurer rejection of newer oral cancer drugs. They also explained Amendment Set 4063, which was intended to restore the bill to the proper posture after changes made in the Appropriations Committee and to prohibit copayment adjustment programs such as accumulator or maximizer programs from reducing credit for manufacturer assistance toward deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums. Senator Bass raised a concern about prior authorization language and possible ERISA litigation, and department staff responded that the bill would not alter ERISA enforceability and that the fiscal note already reflected about $67,000 in OGB costs. After the amendments were adopted, Senator Bass moved to report HB 76 favorably with amendments, and the committee did so without opposition. Senator Carter thanked the bill authors for their advocacy on cancer-related issues and offered to help during the interim. The committee then adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• And, you know, I think there are ways we can do it outside of new GRT deductions on basic services, for
• I think there are ways we can do it outside of new GRT deductions on basic services, for example.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The co-pays and deductibles break the bank every time.
• Co-pays and deductibles break the bank every time.
• 00:37:45.760> the<00:37:46.000> co-pays<00:37:46.480> and<00:37:46.720> deductibles
• <00:37:47.599> break<00:37:47.839> the go the co-pays and deductibles break the go
• the co-pays and deductibles break the bank<00:37:48.320> every<00:37:48.640> time.

Bills: HF238, HF3381, HF3754, HF1049

Keywords: microenterprise home kitchen operation, cottage food, home-based food business, home kitchen license, homemade food, prepared food, food entrepreneur, small food business, cottage food law, food safety training, ServSafe, food handler license, agriculture department, Minnesota food law, residential kitchen, local zoning, consumer labeling, allergen labeling, unpasteurized juice, time/temperature control for safety food

Transcript Highlights:

• 00:19:53.360> $103,000<00:19:54.480> would<00:19:54.720> be<00:19:54.880> deducted
• <00:19:55.280> out<00:19:55.440> of and $103,000 would be deducted out of and $103,000
• would be deducted out of the<00:19:55.679> general<00:19:56.000> fund<00:19:56.880>
• Additionally, that expenditure that was deducted out of the general fund, that $103,000, will not come
• Additionally, that expenditure that was deducted out of the general fund, that $103,000, will not come

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• with a higher deductible of $3 to $5 million.
• aside for those deductibles. aside for those deductibles.
• have to have for deductible.
• deductible deductible what<03:02:12.880> that's<03:02:13.200> not<03:02:13.440> the
• wind hail deductibles wind hail deductibles than<03:29:29.360> those<03:29:29.760> that

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• SO THERE IS A DEDUCTION AND THEN AN ADDITION, I'M WONDERING WHERE THE DEDUCTION IS COMING FROM. >> Chair

Transcript Highlights:

• So, they have co-pays, they have deductibles, they have maximum out-of-pockets.
• So, they have co-pays, they have deductibles, they have maximum out-of-pocket limits.
• “Like, let’s just take a Plan G that all they have to pay is the Part B deductible.
• <03:47:22.080> everything is the part B deductible. everything is the part B deductible. everything
• What would be the deductible, if any, for these? There is a deductible and there are co-pays.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee reviewed a handout comparing House Bill 2 to current retirement law and walked through the bill section by section with staff from the retirement system. The discussion focused on vesting, earnable compensation, average final compensation, compensation-over-base limits, special duty pay, normal retirement age, re-retirement, and maximum benefit rules for Group 2/Tier B members. Staff explained that some provisions would restore pre-2011 rules, including counting certain end-of-career payments such as unused sick and vacation time in earnable compensation and reducing the AFC averaging period from five years back to three. They also described how the bill would eliminate the current cap on compensation over base, which mainly affects overtime, and noted that the actuarial cost of the AFC-related changes is interrelated rather than easily broken out by feature. A separate discussion covered the special duty pay limitation, which currently applies to Tier A and would be removed under the governor’s bill for both Tier A and Tier B members after their vested buy date. Staff said the actuary estimated that removing the special duty limitation would increase costs by about $13.9 million. Members also asked about the practical difference between overtime and special duty, with staff explaining that special duty generally involves work for a private third party, often police detail work, while overtime depends more on staffing and scheduling. The committee also reviewed the normal retirement age changes for Tier B and the possibility that some members would need to work longer to reach the new vested buy date. Members raised concerns about an ambiguity in the bill that could allow already-retired Tier B members to return to work, then re-retire and claim the higher benefits, or allow vested deferred members to stop working and wait for the new vested buy date. Staff said the governor’s office did not intend to allow that result and requested clarifying language, noting that the bill as drafted does not expressly prohibit it. The committee also discussed part-time and seasonal work after retirement, with staff explaining that such work generally does not restore membership unless the person takes a full-time position requiring enrollment. Finally, the committee reviewed the maximum benefit provisions and noted that HB 2 in the current year does not change the maximum benefit date or include the 1.5% annual escalator that had been part of the 2023 proposal, making the current bill more costly than the earlier version.

Transcript Highlights:

• All scheduled standard deduction increases will continue ending in 2031 at $24,000 for joint filers,
• As standard deductions increase and tax brackets decrease, the withholdings taken out in each paycheck
• As standard deductions increase and tax brackets decrease, the withholdings taken out in each paycheck
• As standard deductions increase and tax brackets decrease, the withholdings taken out in each paycheck

Bills: HB1800, HB1860, HB2250, HB472, HB649, HB1391, HB1481, HB1509, HB1511, HB1515, HB1518, HB1541, HB1548, HB1576, HB1618, HB1642, HB1643, HB1661, HB1667, HB1678, HB1682, HB1688, HB1692, HB1707, HB1710, HB1711, HB1713, HB1718, HB1721, HB1728, HB1737, HB1740, HB1741, HB1785, HB1801, HB1802, HB1804, HB1810, HB1815, HB1824, HB1838, HB1839, HB1853, HB1854, HB1864, HB1870, HB1881, HB1888, HB1890, HB1891, HB1894, HB1920, HB1959, HB1960, HB1969, HB1973, HB1974, HB2023, HB2050, HB2078, HB2094, HB2095, HB2104, HB2137, HB2152, HB2158, HB2171, HB2207, HB2218, HB2246, HB2270, HB2271, HB2272, HB2279, HB2282, HB2289, HB2293, HB2297, HB2300, HB2309, HB2310, HB2314, HB2319, HB2329, HB2338, HB2339, HB2344, HB2361, HB2385, HB2395, HB2417, HB2429, HB2443, HB2452, HB2474, HB2475, HB2498, HB2505, HB2547, HB2576

Keywords: supplemental appropriations, state budget, Hawaii budget, biennial budget, capital improvement projects, CIP, general fund, special fund, green fee, special land and development fund, clean energy revolving loan fund, agricultural development revolving fund, community grants, nonprofit grants, Office of Community Services, housing, affordable housing, homelessness, health care, mental health

Transcript Highlights:

• This while deductibles have nearly doubled to help keep our premiums down.
• This while deductibles have nearly doubled to help keep our premiums down.
• I have personally put off medical treatment for years to avoid the $7,500 deductible I simply cannot
• This while deductibles<00:35:25.200> have<00:35:25.520> nearly<00:35:25.839> doubled
• <00:35:26.320> to<00:35:26.560> help deductibles have nearly doubled to help deductibles

Bills: HF3422, HF3461, HF2904

Keywords: state grants, grant oversight, grants management, executive agencies, Minnesota Department of Administration, commissioner of administration, fraud prevention, waste prevention, grant monitoring, financial reconciliation, grant compliance, state government, public funds, grant recipients, competitive grants, grant administration, administrative oversight, monitoring visits, grant policy, legislative leave

Transcript Highlights:

• that eliminates the trust fund for child welfare and eliminates the requirement for the division to deduct
• that eliminates the trust fund for child welfare and eliminates the requirement for the division to deduct

Keywords: 909, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It has deductions applied to their gross income, which could be from wages, bonuses, rents, interest,
• It would be after deduction. >> I see. So we don't know how many people would actually be impacted.
• It has to be<01:01:42.160> deductions<01:01:42.799> applied<01:01:43.119> to<01:
• 01:43.280> their<01:01:43.520> gross be deductions applied to their gross be deductions
• It would be after deduction.<01:02:04.880> So deduction. So deduction.

Bills: HB2488, HB2456

Keywords: disability, communication access, deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, healthcare, sign language interpreters, auxiliary aids, weight loss, GLP-1 drugs, obesity, Medicaid, healthcare costs, 910, house, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony on HP 1972, which would create a nonrefundable family caregiver tax credit, and on a related tax measure to increase the existing dependent care tax credit. Supporters of HP 1972, including AARP, the Executive Office on Aging, the Hawaii Public Health Institute, Hawaii Children’s Action Network, and others, said unpaid caregivers are essential to keeping kūpuna and other loved ones at home and described significant out-of-pocket costs. The Department of Taxation and the Tax Foundation raised technical concerns, including the need to avoid overlap with existing credits and to prevent double-dipping. The department said taxpayers can claim credits to the extent allowed, but recommended explicit language barring the same costs from being claimed under more than one credit. No vote was taken in the excerpt, and the chair moved the bill along after questions. The committee then heard HP 1975, which would repeal the sunset on the state rent supplement program for kūpuna. AARP, Catholic Charities Hawaii, the Executive Office on Aging, and others supported making the program permanent, saying it helps low-income older adults avoid eviction and homelessness and allows them to remain in affordable housing. Catholic Charities described clients who were paying unsustainable shares of income for rent before receiving the supplement. Members also shared a constituent example of an elderly retiree who needed the subsidy to stay housed. Written support was noted from additional organizations and individuals. Next, the committee took up HB 1706, which would expand Medicaid prospective payment reimbursement to include mental health services furnished in federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics by mental health professionals under supervision. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs supported the bill, and DHS said it appreciated the intent to address workforce shortages and expand training, but cautioned that unlicensed professionals cannot currently bill Medicaid and that a state plan amendment would be needed, with limited precedent for approval. Members asked about the likelihood and timing of federal approval and whether the bill could help rural areas; DHS said approval is uncertain and the process can take time, though it saw possible alignment with the state’s rural health transformation efforts. The committee also discussed HB 546, a three-year health coverage continuity pilot program for people losing Medicaid coverage. DHS, the Attorney General’s office, DCCA, Catholic Charities, the University of Hawaii, and others testified, with DHS warning that federal changes could increase uninsured rates and that the state may need to act quickly. Catholic Charities and others emphasized the risk to Medicaid recipients, including homeless and near-elderly residents, while DHS explained the state’s existing premium assistance program for certain immigrants and compared it to the proposed pilot. The excerpt ends during discussion of that comparison, with no vote shown.

Transcript Highlights:

• If I was still paying my health insurance at 1,500 a month, I'm allowed to deduct that off my state income
• month, I'm health insurance at 1,500 a month, I'm allowed<00:11:29.440> to<00:11:29.680> deduct
• 30.720> off<00:11:31.120> my<00:11:32.000> in<00:11:32.720> a allowed to deduct
• that off my in a allowed to deduct that off my in a portion<00:11:33.279> of<00:11:33.360>
• Understand that the individual health plan premiums are not tax-deductible unless you're self-employed

Bills: HB125, HB116, HB183, HB342, HB341, SB280, SB245, SB159, HB125, HB116, HB183, HB342, HB341, SB280, SB245, SB159

Keywords: HB125, sunset law, Alabama Sunset Committee, Alabama State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, veterinary medical examiners, veterinary board, veterinary licensing, veterinary regulation, professional licensing board, state board continuation, sunset review, regulatory board, animal health, veterinarians, disciplinary authority, HB116, Alabama Sunset Law, sunset bill, Alabama Professional Bail Bonding Board, bail bonding

Transcript Highlights:

• up for your plan to look at deductibles up for your plan to look at deductibles and<00:12:51.519
• If patients have a deductible that they can't afford or do not have insurance, then there's a sliding
• If patients have a deductible that they can't afford or do not have insurance, then there's a sliding
• If patients<00:35:58.800> have<00:35:58.960> a<00:35:59.119> deductible<00:35:59.599
• > that<00:35:59.760> that patients have a deductible that that patients have a deductible

Keywords: 1. Call to Order and Roll Call – 00:00:00 2. Approval of Minutes – 00:02:10 3. Discussion of State-Based Marketplaces and the Federally-Facilitated Marketplace – 00:02:31 4. Discussion of the Role of Kynectors and Navigators – 00:27:29 5. Discussion of Presumptive Eligibility – 01:11:57 6. Discussion of Medicaid Eligibility, Enrollment, and Redeterminations – 01:20:09 7. Update on Rural Health Transformation Program Application Process – 01:47:35 8. Public Comment – 01:59:57 9. Adjournment – 02:06:10, 958, all

Summary: The Medicaid Oversight Advisory Board met for its third meeting and approved the July 30 minutes. The chair outlined a full agenda covering the state-based marketplace versus the federally facilitated marketplace, connectors and navigators, presumptive eligibility, eligibility/enrollment/redetermination, and a rural health transformation update. Commissioner Lisa Lee and Assistant Director David Barry presented first on Kentucky’s state-based exchange, Connect, explaining that it is an integrated eligibility and enrollment system for Medicaid, CHIP, SNAP, TANF, child care, and qualified health plans. They reviewed Kentucky’s move from a state-based exchange to healthcare.gov in 2017 and back to a state-based marketplace in 2021, and said the system helps route applicants to the correct program and allows families to move more easily between Medicaid and exchange coverage as circumstances change. The presenters said the exchange is funded by carrier assessments on qualified health plans rather than general fund dollars, with costs allocated across programs based on use. They said Kentucky’s exchange fees are lower than the federal platform’s and that the state-based system provides local assistance through DCBS offices, connectors, and licensed agents in every county. Members asked about startup and operating costs, fee-setting, and whether any general fund dollars are used; the department said it would follow up with the CFO on fee details and said it was not aware of general fund support for exchange operations. Members also raised concerns about Medicaid eligibility verification and improper enrollment, while the department emphasized that the state system uses different questions than healthcare.gov and is designed to identify the correct coverage based on monthly Medicaid income and annual tax-credit income. The board also discussed enrollment trends, including a COVID-era spike during the public health emergency when disenrollments were largely paused, and current qualified health plan enrollment of more than 97,000 people on Connect. Commissioner Lee explained presumptive eligibility as temporary Medicaid coverage, noting it applies to pregnant women and hospital-based cases, with hospitals able to grant it and certain providers able to grant it to pregnant women. She said full eligibility is still determined within 30 days and that presumptive eligibility ends when full Medicaid eligibility is determined or at the end of the following month. The meeting then shifted to connectors, with representatives from Community Action Kentucky and the Kentucky Primary Care Association describing their statewide outreach network, local offices, and role helping residents apply for Medicaid, renew coverage, report changes, and navigate benefits; they said connectors do not determine eligibility but assist with applications, recertifications, and outreach events across the Commonwealth.

Transcript Highlights:

• committee substitute for House Bill 4028 will extend The sunset date of the qualified equity investment deduction
• This deduction allows accredited investors to deduct qualified equity investments in eligible Oklahoma

Bills: HB4028, HB4075, HB4077, HB4074, HB4076, SB1221, SB1921, SB2118, SB1932, SB2134, HCR1025, SB1432, HCR1024, HCR1022, SB1122, HB4029, HB4063, HB4073, HB4078, SB1936, SB44, SB237, SB248, SB1360, SB985, SB1204, SB1239, SB1307, SB2143, SB1428, SB1390, SB1400, SB1405, SB1732, SB1832, SB1859, SB1989, SB2018, SB1427

Keywords: tax deduction, venture capital, economic development, Oklahoma, investment, water resources, appropriations, funding, state treasury, infrastructure projects, emergency act, emergency management, disaster relief, pandemic response, state appropriations, HB4074, Health Care Workforce Training Commission, Health Care Workforce Revolving Fund, health workforce, health care workforce