Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas Senate Bill SB213 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
2		-	Act 140 of the Regular Session
3	2		MBM133 02/06/2025 12:24:18 PM MBM133
4	3		State of Arkansas 1
5	4		95th General Assembly A Bill 2
6	5		Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 213 3
7	6		4
8	7		By: Senators Irvin, B. Davis 5
9	8		By: Representatives Pilkington, Wardlaw, Hudson, L. Johnson, Bentley 6
10	9		7
11	10		For An Act To Be Entitled 8
12	11		AN ACT TO CREATE THE HEALTHY MOMS, HEALTHY BABIES 9
13	12		ACT; TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW TO IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH 10
14	13		IN THIS STATE; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 11
15	14		12
16	15		13
17	16		Subtitle 14
18	17		TO CREATE THE HEALTHY MOMS, HEALTHY 15
19	18		BABIES ACT; AND TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW TO 16
20	19		IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH IN THIS STATE. 17
21	20		18
22	21		BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 19
23	22		20
24	23		SECTION 1. DO NOT CODIFY. Title. 21
25	24		This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Healthy Moms, Healthy 22
26	25		Babies Act". 23
27	26		24
28	27		SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 20-77-151 is repealed to be reenacted and 25
29	28		transferred to another subchapter of the Arkansas Code. 26
30	29		20-77-151. Depression screening for pregnant women. 27
31	30		(a) The Arkansas Medicaid Program shall reimburse for depression 28
32	31		screening of a pregnant woman. 29
33	32		(b) The Department of Human Services shall apply for any federal 30
34	33		waiver, Medicaid state plan amendments, or other authority necessary to 31
35	34		implement this section. 32
36	35		33
37	36		SECTION 3. Arkansas Code Title 20, Chapter 77, is amended to add an 34
38	37		additional subchapter to read as follows: 35
39	38		Subchapter 29 — Maternal Health 36 SB213
40	39
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42	41		1
43	42		20-77-2901. Depression screening for pregnant women. 2
44	43		(a) The Arkansas Medicaid Program shall reimburse for depression 3
45	44		screening of a pregnant woman. 4
46	45		(b) The Department of Human Services shall apply for any federal 5
47	46		waiver, Medicaid state plan amendments, or other authority necessary to 6
48	47		implement this section. 7
49	48		8
50	49		20-77-2902. Coverage of prenatal, delivery, and postpartum services. 9
51	50		(a) The Arkansas Medicaid Program shall reimburse for prenatal, 10
52	51		delivery, and postpartum services separately in lieu of a global payment or 11
53	52		an all-inclusive payment methodology for maternity services. 12
54	53		(b) Prenatal, delivery, and postpartum services include without 13
55	54		limitation: 14
56	55		(1) Office visits; 15
57	56		(2) Laboratory fees; 16
58	57		(3) Physician ordered testing; 17
59	58		(4) Blood work; 18
60	59		(5) Remote monitoring; 19
61	60		(6) Fetal nonstress tests; and 20
62	61		(7) Continuous glucose monitors or other services for 21
63	62		gestational diabetes when medically necessary. 22
64	63		(c) This section does not alter coverage provided through the Arkansas 23
65	64		Health and Opportunity for Me Program or a risk -based provider organization 24
66	65		under the Medicaid Provider -Led Organized Care Act, § 20 -77-2701 et seq. 25
67	66		26
68	67		20-77-2903. Presumptive eligibility for pregnant women. 27
69	68		(a) The Arkansas Medicaid Program shall make presumptive eligibility 28
70	69		determinations for pregnant women who are applying for the program to improve 29
71	70		access to prenatal care and allow prenatal care to be delivered immediately 30
72	71		while waiting for a full application to be processed. 31
73	72		(b) The program may designate one (1) or more qualified entities to 32
74	73		screen for eligibility and immediately enroll pregnant women into the 33
75	74		program. 34
76	75		35
77	76		20-77-2904. Blood pressure monitoring for pregnant and postpartum 36 SB213
78	77
79	78		3 02/06/2025 12:24:18 PM MBM133
80	79		women. 1
81	80		(a) The Arkansas Medicaid Program shall provide coverage and 2
82	81		reimbursement for self -measurement blood pressure monitoring services for 3
83	82		pregnant women and postpartum women. 4
84	83		(b) Self-measurement blood pressure monitoring services shall include: 5
85	84		(1) Validated blood pressure monitoring devices, such as a blood 6
86	85		pressure cuff and replacement cuffs, as medically necessary, to diagnose or 7
87	86		treat hypertension; 8
88	87		(2) Patient education and training on the set -up and use of a 9
89	88		self-measurement blood pressure measurement device that is validated for 10
90	89		clinical accuracy, device calibration, and the procedure for obtaining self -11
91	90		measurement readings; and 12
92	91		(3) Collection of data reports by the patient or caregiver for 13
93	92		submission to a healthcare provider to communicate blood pressure readings 14
94	93		and create or modify treatment plans. 15
95	94		16
96	95		20-77-2905. Reimbursement for remote ultrasound procedures. 17
97	96		(a)(1) The Arkansas Medicaid Program shall reimburse for medically 18
98	97		necessary remote ultrasound procedures utilizing established Current 19
99	98		Procedural Terminology codes for remote ultrasound procedures when the 20
100	99		patient is in a residence or other off -site location from the healthcare 21
101	100		provider of the patient and the same standard of care is met. 22
102	101		(2) Subdivision (a)(1) of this section shall apply to the fee -23
103	102		for-service categories of the program and any managed care plan within the 24
104	103		program. 25
105	104		(b) A remote ultrasound procedure shall be reimbursable when the 26
106	105		healthcare provider uses digital technology that: 27
107	106		(1) Collects medical and other forms of health data from a 28
108	107		patient and electronically transmits the information securely to a healthcare 29
109	108		provider in a different location for interpretation and recommendation; 30
110	109		(2) Is compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and 31
111	110		Accountability Act of 1996, 42 U.S.C. § 1320d et seq., as it existed on 32
112	111		January 1, 2025; and 33
113	112		(3) Is approved by the United States Food and Drug 34
114	113		Administration. 35
115	114		36 SB213
116	115
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118	117		20-77-2906. Coverage for certain services provided by doulas and 1
119	118		community health workers. 2
120	119		The Arkansas Medicaid Program shall reimburse doulas and community 3
121	120		health workers for home visitation related to prenatal care and postpartum 4
122	121		care. 5
123	122		6
124	123		20-77-2907. Implementation and rules. 7
125	124		The Department of Human Services shall: 8
126	125		(1) Apply for any federal waiver, Medicaid state plan 9
127	126		amendments, or other authority necessary to implement this subchapter; and 10
128	127		(2) Adopt rules to implement this subchapter. 11
129	128		12
130	129		SECTION 4. Arkansas Code § 16 -114-203(c), concerning the statute of 13
131	130		limitations, is amended to read as follows: 14
132	131		(c)(1) If Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, if an 15
133	132		individual is nine (9) years of age or younger at the time of the act, 16
134	133		omission, or failure complained of, the minor or person claiming on behalf of 17
135	134		the minor shall have until the later of the minor's eleventh birthday or two 18
136	135		(2) years from the act, omission, or failure in which to commence an action. 19
137	136		(2) However, if If no medical injury is known and could not 20
138	137		reasonably have been discovered prior to the minor's eleventh birthday, then 21
139	138		the minor or his or her representative shall have until two (2) years after 22
140	139		the medical injury is known or reasonably could have been discovered, or 23
141	140		until the minor's nineteenth birthday, whichever is earlier, in which to 24
142	141		commence an action. 25
143	142		(3) If an alleged medical injury occurred during childbirth, the 26
144	143		minor or his or her representative shall have until the minor's fifth 27
145	144		birthday to commence an action. 28
146	145		29
147	146		30
148		-	~~APPROVED: 2/25/25~~ 31
	147	+	31
149	148		32
150	149		33
151	150		34
152	151		35
153	152		36