Home Economy Government R.I. Senate leaders unveil 9-bill health care package

R.I. Senate leaders unveil 9-bill health care package

By

Katie Castellani

-

02/05/2025

senate-leaders-696x385 — / / PBN FILE PHOTO/NICOLE DOTZENROD

PROVIDENCE – The state’s Senate leaders have unveiled another legislative package aimed at improving health care access and affordability. The unveiling of the nine-bill package comes after Senate leaders introduced a 25-bill package, known as the Rhode Island HEALTH [Holistic Enhancement and Access Legislation for Total Health] Initiative, last year. Of those 25 bills, 11

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PROVIDENCE – The state’s Senate leaders have unveiled another legislative package aimed at improving health care access and affordability. The unveiling of the nine-bill package comes after Senate leaders introduced a 25-bill package, known as the Rhode Island HEALTH [Holistic Enhancement and Access Legislation for Total Health] Initiative, last year. Of those 25 bills, 11 passed the General Assembly last year. The package focuses on boosting access and lowering costs, mainly by removing administrative requirements that can pose barriers to patient care and reducing patients’ medical debt. “It is the doctors, not insurers, who know best what care is needed for their patients. And we need our primary care doctors focused on providing care, not haggling with insurance companies,” said Sen. Melissa A. Murray, D-Woonsocket, and chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio, D-North Providence, said the pending sale of Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in his district has exemplified the state’s health care challenges. The sale of Fatima Hospital and Roger Williams Medical Center by Prospect Medical Holdings, a California-based private equity firm that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January, to the Centurion Foundation, a Georgia-based nonprofit, is set to close soon. “Together, we have taken some important steps to address Rhode Island’s health care challenges. But our system of care remains in critical condition, and urgent action is absolutely necessary,” Ruggerio said. “With the bills in this package, and many other pieces of legislation introduced by my colleagues, the Senate remains focused on making health care less costly, and easier to get, for every resident of our state.” The bills introduced are:

2025-S 168, sponsored by Murray, would prevent insurers from requiring prior authorization for medically necessary health services and prescriptions as determined by a primary care provider. Some brand name medications and controlled substances are excluded
2025-S 171, sponsored by Sen. Brian Thompson, D-Woonsocket, would increase availability of training programs and allow the use of Medicaid funding to support graduate medical education programs and research in several areas
2025-S 170, sponsored by Sen. Peter Appollonio Jr., D-Warwick, would allow the R.I. Department of Health to review and act on licensing applications that haven’t been considered by the relevant licensing board within 60 days of submission
2025-S 165, sponsored by Sen. Lori Urso, D-Pawtucket, would prohibit pharmacy benefit managers - or PBMs – from using “spread pricing” in their cost structures for health care plans. Spread pricing is when PBMs charge health plans and payers more for a prescription drug than what they would reimburse the pharmacy and then they keep the difference, or “spread”
2025-S 173, sponsored by Sen. Linda Ujifusa, D-Portsmouth, would prohibit spread pricing by health insurance companies that manage Medicaid plans for about 90% of Medicaid enrollees.
2025-S 166, Sponsored by Sen. Robert Britto, D-East Providence, would allow pharmacists to administer vaccines to all eligible patients, regardless of age. Pharmacists already administer vaccines to adults and were allowed to give vaccines to all age groups during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2025-S 172, sponsored by Sen. John Burke, D-West Warwick, would cap the interest rate on new medical debt at the interest rate equal to the weekly average one week constant maturity Treasury yield, but not less than 1.5% or more than 4% per annum, as published by the Federal Reserve System. The interest rate would be extended to judgements on medical debt
2025-S 169, sponsored by Sen. Jacob Bissaillon, D-Providence, would prohibit the attachment of a lien to a person’s home because of medical debt
2025-S 167, sponsored by Majority Leader Valarie Lawson, D-East Providence, would clarify existing law to ensure the eligibility of certain Medicare patients for supplemental coverage programs, no matter their age or pre-existing conditions.

Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.