Legislative News
Final Status - Signed into Law
Introduced by Sen. Norm Wallman of Cortland, LB 806 changes provisions relating to service animals. The legislation changes the legal definition of hearing or guide dog to service animal to match ADA regulations. Also, the bill exempts all service animals from licensing fees, regardless of whether they graduated from recognized training schools.
More importantly though, LB 806 prohibits charging a blind, visually-impaired or physically disabled person housing deposits for a service animal. This applies to any person who rents, leases or provides housing accommodations to an individual who uses a service animal.
Gov. Dave Heineman signed LB 806 into law on April 17, 2008. Therefore, those with service animals can refuse to pay a deposit for their animal under law.
Final Status - Interim Study to be Conducted
LR 348 was introduced by Sen. Annette Dubas of Fullerton to examine the issues of language access in Nebraska’s health care and human services system. The resolution directs the Health and Human Services Committee to conduct an interim study to investigate interpreting issues in the health care setting.
Issues that were targeted in LR 348 included exploring how the state can ensure access to quality medical care and reduce medical errors and costs through legislation relating to medical interpretation and translation; prohibiting the use of minors as interpreters; and determining whether federal funds to pay for interpretation are being fully utilized.
The Health and Human Services Committee currently has LR 348 listed as its 12th priority for interim studies.
Final Status - Placed on General File
On Feb. 21, the Health and Human Services Committee of the Nebraska Unicameral held a hearing for a bill that would limit hearing aid coverage for Medicaid beneficiaries aged 21 and older.
LB 1176, which was introduced by Sen. Annette Dubas of Fullerton, would restrict hearing aid coverage for adult Medicaid beneficiaries to one unit every four years. Currently, those with Medicaid coverage can obtain unlimited hearing aids. In addition, this bill would require the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHSS) to submit Medicaid changes to the Unicameral 60 days before a legislative session.
At the hearing, Sen. Dubas said that her goal for her bill was to require DHSS to notify the Legislature of proposed changes, so that the body could respond if necessary. Currently, DHSS rules are set in place to limit the number of hearing aids for Medicaid beneficiaries, so Sen. Dubas copied the department’s proposal into her bill to generate public discussion on the topic.
Since both LB 1176 and DHSS rules will limit the number of hearing aids that people on Medicaid can receive, the passage or failure of LB 1176 will not change the course of limiting the number of hearing aids granted to Medicaid beneficiaries in Nebraska.
DHSS Division of Medicaid Long Term Care Director Vivianne Chaumont stated that the language in the DHSS rules would apply to a pair of hearing aids. Therefore, those with two hearing aids would be able to receive a replacement pair every four years.
Final Status - Referred to the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee
Under a bill introduced this session in the Unicameral, insurance companies offering plans in Nebraska would be required to cover cochlear implants. State Sen. DiAnna Schimek of Lincoln introduced LB 825 on the second day of the 2008 legislative session. Since then, the bill has been referred to the Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee.
A hearing for LB 825 was held Feb. 11, and this hearing attracted many people to testify. Sen. Schimek said that many states have already passed legislation that mandate coverage for cochlear implants. She also said that FDA estimates suggest that 90 percent of insurance policies already cover cochlear implants.
Dr. Rodney Lusk of Boys Town National Research Hospital addressed concerns from the committee members regarding implant costs during his testimony. He said that cochlear implants are made to last 70 years, and they experience a 1-2 percent failure rate. He also said that cochlear implants do not move once implanted, and children who are implanted 6-12 months after birth enjoy more success with the device than those implanted after this time period.
Those who testified on behalf of insurance interests claimed that the bill would raise insurance premiums and not extend cochlear implant coverage due to ERISA. Under ERISA, self-funded insurance policies cannot be affected by state mandates. So, those who testified against the bill said that 64 percent of Nebraska insurance policies would not be required to cover cochlear implants even if LB 825 would be signed into law.
The Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee took no action on LB 825.
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