Healthcare

Healthcare is of primary importance to our quality of life. Whether it’s making sure that we have primary and specialty care available, insurance coverage for the services we need, or preventative programs in place for individuals and families, our access to quality care at a price we can afford is one of the biggest concerns we face. This is why I will continue to look for opportunities to remove barriers to service and fight systems that result in higher costs.

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A few of the bills that I have sponsored and which are now law include:

  • Expanded coverage for cancer treatment (Co-sponsor of HB 120; 149th GA) This law requires health insurance policies to cover any medically appropriate drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of stage 4 metastatic cancer without requiring a patient to first prove that the patient failed to respond to a different drug or drugs.

  • Expansion of dental services to high need populations (Co-sponsor of SB 73 w/SA 1; 151st GA) This Act permits an individual to practice dentistry for the Division of Public Health under a provisional license until full licensure can be obtained and will assist our State in recruiting dentists to serve those in need.

  • Increasing access to telepsychology (Senate Prime of HB 172; 150th GA) This Act, the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT), is an interstate compact designed to facilitate the practice of telepsychology and the temporary in-person, face-to-face practice of psychology across state boundaries.

  • Increasing access to telemedicine (Co-sponsored HB 160; 151st GA) This Act, known as the Telehealth Access Preservation and Modernization Act of 2021, continues and enhances Delawareans’ access to telehealth and telemedicine services and makes permanent the telehealth flexibilities put in place for the Covid-19 pandemic.

  • Oversight of PBM’s (Co-sponsor of HB 219; 151st GA) Over 80% of pharmaceuticals in the United States are purchased through pharmacy benefits manager ("PBM") networks. PBMs serve as intermediaries between health plans, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and pharmacies or pharmacists, and PBMs establish networks for patients to receive reimbursement for drugs. Given the scope of PBMs in the healthcare delivery system, this Act is designed to provide enhanced oversight and transparency as it relates to PBMs.

  • Improved access to chiropractic care (Co-sponsor of SB 25; 151st GA) In Delaware, back problems are a top-three cost driver and are among the most common conditions resulting in disability and lost productivity. This Act improves access for Delawareans seeking opioid-free treatment by ensuring chiropractors are reimbursed at least at the level of Medicare and not at historically persistent lower rates.

  • Capping the cost of insulin (Supported the passage of HB 263; 150th GA) This Act requires that individual, group, and State employee insurance plans cap the amount an individual must pay for insulin prescriptions at $100 a month and must include at least 1 formulation of insulin on the lowest tier of the drug formulary developed and maintained by the carrier.

  • Changing the default sugary beverage in children’s meals (Co-sponsor of HB 79; 150th GA) This bill requires the State food safety standards for restaurants to include a system for requiring healthy beverages to be offered as the default beverage with a combination children’s meal inclusive of a drink, sold together at a unit price.

  • Providing services for the developmentally disabled (Prime sponsor of SCR 62; 149th GA and SB 162; 151st GA) Sen. Hansen created and led a large task force of providers, advocates, and government representatives to identify and resolve outstanding service issues associated with the provision of services for people with developmental disabilities