State Rep. Amish Shah, who has a medical degree, has introduced a bill that would regulate how paramedics counsel patients on when they need to go to the hospital.
Governor Ducey Committed To Providing Additional Resources for Kinship FamiliesPHOENIX A proposal backed by Governor Doug Ducey to increase the stipend for foster children cared for by grandparents and other extended family members today won the unanimous support of the Arizona House Health and Human Services Committee.
A new Arizona law could permanently expand statewide use of virtual and telephonic doctors visits, which became more commonplace during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The law, signed by Gov. Doug Ducey on Wednesday, makes permanent telehealth flexibility that had been permitted under executive orders Ducey issued during Arizona s COVID-19 public health emergency.
The law takes effect immediately, officials with the Governor s Office said.
One key provision of that expanded flexibility was requiring health care insurance companies to expand telehealth coverage for all services that would normally be covered for an in-person visit. It catapults Arizona to the front of the line in terms of telehealth law nationally, said Dr. Ronald Weinstein, founding director of the University of Arizona s Arizona Telemedicine Program and a president emeritus of the American Telemedicine Association. It s huge.
At Monday’s meeting of the Arizona House Health and Human Services Committee, members heard testimony in favor of a bill that would add spina bifida to the list of developmental disabilities. Concerns emerged regarding unclarified details of the bill and its potentially hefty price tag.
House Bill 2540’s sponsor, Rep. Jennifer Longdon, says spina bifida leads to harmful developmental delays. Including spina bifida on the list of developmental disabilities would make individuals with spina bifida eligible for crucial medical support, she said. Currently, children with spina bifida stop receiving support from the Department of Developmental Disabilities after age six.