Health Care Reform Around the Nation for June 1

Nevada

Last week, the Nevada Assembly voted to approve a bill (SB 229) that would authorize the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services to stop the exploitation of foreign physicians who have come to the state to provide care to residents in underserved areas, the Las Vegas Sun reports.

The legislation would make violations of the J-1 visa program more clearly punishable under state law and prosecutable by the attorney general's office.

It also would charge J-1 physician sponsors a fee to cover the cost of enforcing the law and protect whistle-blowers.

The measure now goes to Gov. Jim Gibbons (R) (Allen, Las Vegas Sun, 5/28).

New Jersey

On Thursday, the New Jersey Senate unanimously passed a bill that would require pharmacists to inform consumers when they have substituted generic drugs for brand-name prescriptions, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.

The bill now goes to Gov. Jon Corzine (D).  The General Assembly passed the bill in February.

If Corzine signs the bill, the law would take effect within 180 days, making New Jersey the first state in the U.S. to have such a requirement (Megerian, Newark Star-Ledger, 5/22).

Texas

On Wednesday, the Texas Senate approved a bill that would increase enrollment in the state's version of the Children's Health Insurance Program, the Houston Chronicle reports.

The bill would raise the income eligibility threshold for the program to 200% of the federal poverty level for a family of four. Under the bill, families' premiums, copayments and fees would not exceed 5% of their net income (Elliott, Houston Chronicle, 5/28).

Supporters of the bill say that it could extend CHIP coverage to as many as 80,000 uninsured children statewide (AP/Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5/28). The bill now moves back to the state House for approval (Houston Chronicle, 5/28).