SB2437

Hospitals with licensed obstetric beds and birthing centers must adopt written policies within 6 months allowing Medicaid patients to bring a certified Medicaid-enrolled doula, who cannot count against visitor quotas.

Hospitals, home nursing agencies, and children's community-based health care centers must provide training and maintain records for a new 'Certified Family Health Aide' role that lets family caregivers get reimbursed for in-home shift nursing for medically fragile children.

Nursing homes face stricter penalty rules: staffing violations cannot be waived except when deviation is under 10%, and cited facilities must post violation notices publicly on their websites and physical entrances for 60 consecutive days.

Managed care organizations must file quarterly compliance reports on prior authorization prohibitions for FDA-approved mental illness drugs, tightening oversight of utilization controls.

Hospitals in counties under 325,000 residents gain flexibility to operate from multiple contiguous-county locations under specific bankruptcy acquisition conditions.

Medicaid coverage expands to cover foreign-born trafficking/torture victims, OTC choline supplements for pregnant patients, and adjusted reimbursement rates for private duty nursing and long-term EKG monitoring.

No AI or algorithmic decision-making provisions are included in this bill.