Relative to the terminal patients' right to try act.
Impact
The implementation of HB 701 would significantly alter existing state laws related to the rights of terminally ill patients. It preempts any regulatory actions against healthcare facilities or providers involved in telehealth prescreening or obtaining consent through remote signing. This means that healthcare providers will have immunity from legal challenges concerning consent processes, provided they follow the stipulations laid out in the bill. By narrowing the scope of the law to terminal illnesses, the bill aims to ensure more focused and expedient access to innovative treatments for the patients who need them most.
Summary
House Bill 701 aims to expand the rights of terminally ill patients to access experimental treatments not yet approved by the FDA by establishing a framework for their participation in health care decisions. The bill allows patients, under certain conditions, to try investigational drugs, biologics, or devices that have completed the initial phase of clinical trials. This legislation particularly emphasizes removing barriers to accessing potentially life-saving treatments and seeks to ensure that patients and healthcare providers have clear pathways to gain consent for such treatments through telehealth and remote signing of documents.
Contention
The bill has sparked debate among legislators and stakeholders in the healthcare community. Supporters argue that allowing easier access to investigational treatments is essential for terminally ill patients who often have exhausted conventional treatment options. Critics, however, express concerns about the potential risks of unregulated treatments and the ethical implications of patient consent in such vulnerable circumstances. Despite these concerns, the bill underscores a significant shift towards empowering patients in making informed health decisions and expanding the role of telehealth in modern healthcare.
Prohibiting gender transition procedures for minors, relative to sex and gender in public schools, and relative to the definition of conversion therapy.
Limiting breast surgeries for minors, relative to residential care and health facility licensing, and relative to the collection and reporting of abortion statistics by health care providers and medical facilities.