HLS 24RS-939 ORIGINAL
2024 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 489
BY REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES
MEDICAID: Provides relative to Medicaid services for maternal and infant health
1 AN ACT
2To enact Part V of Chapter 8 of Title 46 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, to be
3 comprised of R.S. 46:977.32 and 977.33, relative to the medical assistance program
4 of this state known as Medicaid; to provide for legislative findings; to provide for a
5 declaration; to provide for insurance coverage for dietician and nutrition support
6 without a diagnosis of gestational diabetes; to provide coverage for breast pumps for
7 mothers in the neonatal intensive care unit; to fund remote patient monitoring
8 programs for pregnant and postpartum women in lieu of services; to require the
9 Louisiana Department of Health to submit state plan amendments; and to provide for
10 related matters.
11Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
12 Section 1. Part V of Chapter 8 of Title 46 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950,
13comprised of R.S. 46:977.32 and 977.33, is hereby enacted to read as follows:
14 PART V. MEDICAID COVERAGE FOR MATERNAL AND INFANT HEALTH
15 §977.32. Legislative findings; declaration
16 A. The legislature hereby finds and declares that Louisiana has the nation's
17 highest maternal death rate and the nation's second highest infant death rate.
18 B. Louisiana has one of the nation's highest preterm birth rates yielding
19 special needs for mothers and babies in the neonatal intensive care units to
20 successfully lactate and provide lifesaving human milk to critically ill infants.
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HB NO. 489
1 C. Access to critical nutrition education services and lactation support
2 equipment can provide lifesaving resources to mothers and babies.
3 D. Improving access to key nutritional services early in pregnancy can help
4 mothers manage and prevent chronic health conditions that can harm a pregnancy or
5 result in death.
6 E. Providing access to double electric breast pumps to mothers in a timely
7 manner can increase a mothers' chances of breastfeeding success and improve health
8 outcomes for infants.
9 F. Additionally, remote patient monitoring is an innovative resource that can
10 provide lifesaving services to mothers and infants and increase access to medical
11 care, especially in rural areas and areas deemed as maternity care deserts.
12 §977.33. Medicaid coverage; duties of the department
13 A. The department shall revise Medicaid coverage as necessary in
14 accordance with Subsection B of this Section. Such revisions shall include but not
15 be limited to all of the following:
16 (1) Providing insurance coverage for dietician and nutrition consultation
17 support at the referral of the medical provider without the requirement of a diagnosis
18 of gestational diabetes.
19 (2) Providing insurance coverage for hospital-grade breast pumps for
20 neonatal intensive care unit mothers.
21 (3) Providing coverage for double electric breast pumps beginning at twenty
22 weeks gestation.
23 (4) Funding remote patient monitoring programs for pregnant and
24 postpartum women, which includes Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes
25 99453, 99454, and 99199, currently in lieu of services.
26 B. The Louisiana Medicaid program shall cover inpatient and, if deemed
27 appropriate, outpatient coverage for maternal or infant healthcare services when such
28 healthcare services are used for a medically accepted indication and administered in
29 any healthcare facility by any healthcare professional appropriately licensed in this
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HB NO. 489
1 state to provide such healthcare services in accordance with state and federal
2 guidelines or certifications.
3 C. Any healthcare facility appropriately providing maternal or infant
4 healthcare services in accordance with state and federal guidelines or certifications
5 that participates in the Louisiana Medicaid program shall provide such healthcare
6 services to an individual who is eligible for such enrollment as defined in Subsection
7 D of this Section.
8 D.(1) To receive coverage from the Louisiana Medicaid program for
9 maternal or infant healthcare services, the eligibility of a prospective enrollee shall
10 be determined by the healthcare facility appropriately providing such healthcare
11 services in accordance with state and federal guidelines or certifications as provided
12 in Subsection C of this Section.
13 (2) A prospective enrollee shall be considered eligible for maternal or infant
14 healthcare service enrollment if the individual satisfies all of the following
15 qualifications:
16 (a) The individual is enrolled in the Louisiana Medicaid program.
17 (b) A licensed healthcare provider has certified that maternal or infant
18 healthcare services are medically necessary and appropriate to treat the individual's
19 condition.
20 (c) The maternal or infant healthcare services are administered in any
21 healthcare facility appropriately providing such healthcare services in accordance
22 with state and federal guidelines or certifications.
23 E. Pursuant to this Section, the secretary of the Louisiana Department of
24 Health shall do all of the following:
25 (1) Submit to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services all necessary
26 state plan amendments.
27 (2) Promulgate all necessary rules and regulations in accordance with the
28 Administrative Procedure Act.
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HB NO. 489
1 (3) Take any other actions necessary to implement the provisions of this
2 Section.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 489 Original 2024 Regular Session Hughes
Abstract: Provides Medicaid coverage for dietician and nutrition support and certain types
of breast pumps and funding for remote patient monitoring programs for pregnant
and postpartum women.
Proposed law declares that the state of Louisiana has the nation's highest maternal death rate
and the nation's second highest infant death rate. Proposed law further provides for
legislative findings.
Proposed law requires the La. Dept. of Health (LDH) to revise Medicaid coverage as
necessary to implement Proposed law. Proposed law further provides that such revisions
shall include but not be limited to all of the following:
(1) Providing insurance coverage for dietician and nutrition consultation support at the
referral of the medical provider without a requirement of a diagnosis of gestational
diabetes;
(2) Providing insurance coverage for hospital-grade breast pumps for neonatal intensive
care unit mothers;
(3) Providing coverage for double electric breast pumps beginning at 20 weeks
gestation; and
(4) Funding remote patient monitoring programs for pregnant and postpartum women.
Proposed law requires the Medicaid program in this state to cover inpatient and, if deemed
appropriate, outpatient coverage for maternal or infant healthcare services when such care
or treatment, is used for a medically accepted indication, and administered in any healthcare
facility by any healthcare professional appropriately licensed in this state to provide such
healthcare services in accordance with state and federal provisions.
Proposed law provides that the eligibility of a prospective enrollee shall be determined by
the healthcare facility appropriately providing maternal or infant healthcare services as
provided in proposed law.
Proposed law establishes certain requirements for the secretary of LDH in compliance with
proposed law.
(Adds R.S. 46:977.32 and 977.33)
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