House OKs bill to aid blind Oklahomans with absentee ballots
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed legislation on Monday to aid blind and visually impaired Oklahomans with absentee ballots.
Rep. Brian Hill, R-Mustang, presented House Bill 1711 and explained the bill would give registered voters who are blind and visually impaired the option to request an absentee ballot delivered to them electronically.
The bill stipulates that the absentee ballot would be filled out electronically, printed off and mailed with necessary documentation, including an affidavit, to their county election board. HB1711 also allows them to request assistance from another person to complete their electronic absentee ballot.
Oklahoma is home to approximately 138,000 blind and visually impaired Oklahomans.
HB1711 passed the floor 78-18 and proceeds to the Senate.
House committee approves bill to cap cost of insulin
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma House of Representatives Insurance Committee passed legislation to cap the cost of insulin for many Oklahomans with Type 1 diabetes.
House Bill 1019’s author, Rep. Rande Worthen, R-Lawton, said the bill seeks to cap the amount of copayment an individual would be required to pay. Currently, an individual’s copay is based on their own insurance plan.
Worthen said he had wondered for years why the cost of insulin has continued to increase, but decided to file legislation to address the problem after hearing from several people that the price of insulin had become astronomical.
“It’s pretty bad when we’re more concerned about the amount of money that can be made than we are with people’s lives,” Worthen said. “Insulin is not like vitamins where if you miss it once, it’s no big deal. It must be taken daily to avoid the negative effects of diabetes. No person should be forced to choose between paying for life-saving insulin and paying other bills.”
The bill also requires the Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner to enforce compliance of the cap on copayments and gives the commissioner authority to promulgate rules as necessary.
HB1019 passed committee 8-0 and is eligible to be considered on the House floor. Worthen encouraged Oklahomans who are supportive of the measure to contact their legislators.
“There have been several attempts over the last several years to address the skyrocketing price of insulin, so I hope there is enough interest to get this bill passed by both chambers and signed into law by the governor,” Worthen said. “House Bill 1019 would be a great step forward to provide relief for the hundreds of thousands of our citizens who are insulin dependent.”
In Oklahoma, approximately 451,888 people, or 14.3 percent of the adult population, have some form of diabetes. Approximately 5 percent of Oklahomans with diabetes have Type 1 diabetes and require insulin. According to the American Diabetes Association, Oklahomans with diabetes have medical expenses approximately 2.3 times higher than those who do not have diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is caused when a person’s body does not produce enough insulin, resulting in high levels of blood sugar or glucose. This puts them at risk of serious health complications, including kidney failure and stroke. There is no known way to prevent or cure Type 1 diabetes.
Transparency in Health Care Prices Act passes committee
OKLAHOMA CITY — A bill seeking to create greater transparency in health care prices passed the House Public Health Committee with a vote of 8-0.
House Bill 1006, by Carol Bush, R-Tulsa, would create the Transparency in Health Care Prices Act, requiring health care providers and facilities to make the cash prices for their most common health care services available to the public.
Under the measure, health care prices means the cash price a provider, group or facility will charge a patient for a standard service. This pricing list shall be made available either on the provider’s website or other conspicuous posting. Health care facilities also would be required to make common diagnosis and outpatient CPT codes public. The price would, of course, not include any amount in the case of complications or exceptional treatment. The document must be updated at least annually. The bill would prohibit the review of healthcare prices by any agency and interference in contracts between private parties.
Bush said the measure compliments new federal regulations. The measure is supported by the Oklahoma State Medical Association.
HB 1006 is eligible to be considered by the full House.
House committee OKs bill to revoke licenses of doctors who perform abortions
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma House of Representatives Public Health Committee passed legislation directing the Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision and the State Board of Osteopathic Examiners to revoke the licenses of physicians who perform abortions.
House Bill 1102, authored by Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland, would revoke the license for at least one year. The bill provides an exception for abortions performed to save the life of the mother.
“Every single human life has value and should be protected under the law,” Olsen said. “As state representatives, we have a duty to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves and uphold the right to life. The life of an unborn baby should never be reduced to an inconvenience in our state or nation.”
HB1102 also directs the Attorney General’s office to calculate costs paid for by the state or local entities in court challenges to the bill and report the amounts for each calendar quarter to the Legislature.
The bill was modeled after similar legislation, House Bill 1182, which overwhelmingly passed the House floor in 2020 but was not heard in the Senate due to the pandemic. House Bill 1102 passed committee 9-1 and is eligible to be heard on the House floor.
— Compiled from press releases
