Just for fun, I like to see what laws are being presented / rejected / passed in Virginia’s General Assembly Session. Here are some proposed laws, some good, some bad – some AWFUL!
HB 22 – Amendment requriing methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) be addede to the list of diseases required to be reported to the Department of Health.
REJECTED ” Stricken from docket by Health, Welfare and Institutions by voice vote”
HJ 101 (not a Bill) *Study; “Directs the Joint Commission on Health Care to study the use of disclosure, apologies, alternative dispute resolution, and other measures in the case of medical errors and adverse medical outcomes and the impact of such measures on the cost and quality of care, patient confidence, and the medical malpractice system.”
Great idea Delegate O’Bannon – we hear families say often – “If only the doctor / facility apologized, and admitted they were wrong, we wouldn’t have filed the lawsuit.” There is a high price to pay for peace of mind!
HB 89 – Removes requirement that girls receive the human papillomavirus vaccine. (Been Tabled in Health, Welfare and Institutions by voice vote)
HB 364 – Hospital-Emergency Treatment Reimbursement Fund. Requires employers to withhold from wages payable to employees who are not covered by a health insurance policy an amount equal to two percent of their wages. The withheld moneys are to be remitted to the State Corporation Commission, which will allocate the funds among the licensed hospitals that have provided emergency care for which they have not been paid, based on the ratio of each hospital’s unpaid costs to the statewide total. The Health Commissioner is required to collect information from licensed hospitals regarding the amount of their unpaid emergency care. Only hospitals that provide the requested data are eligible to receive distributions from the Fund.
WHAT – that is basically MEDICAID for ER Facilities. This law smells for a bunch of reasons.
Please – actually get involved with your state laws – http://leg1.state.va.usate.va.us