Caring for Utah Families - Senator Luz Escamilla
Senator Luz Escamilla passed two bills out of committee today. Both bills address the needs of Utah's families.
The first bill, S.B. 181 - Infertility Insurance Coverage Pilot Program, requires the Public Employees' Health Plan (PEHP) to create a 3-year pilot program to cover a portion of the cost of using an purpose of the pilot program is to study the efficacy of providing coverage for the use of an assisted reproductive technology, such as in vitro fertilization.
The purpose of the pilot program is to study the efficacy of providing this type of coverage. PEHP serves public sector employees — the state of Utah, its counties, cities, school districts, and other public agencies, and is one of the largest insurers in the state.
The bill passed the Senate Business & Labor Committee unanimously, and will now be sent to the full Senate for consideration.
The second bill, S.B. 161 Nurse Home Visiting Pay-for-Success Program, creates an evidence-based nurse home visiting pay-for-success program within the Utah Department of Health. As part of the program, at-risk mothers who participate in the program will receive ongoing in-person home visits from a qualified nurse from early in the participant's pregnancy to up to two years after their child is born. Eligible participants include individuals who qualify for Utah's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Medicaid, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
The program will measure success based on, at a minimum, improvement in the following criteria:
preterm births
child injuries
child immunization rates through age two
postpartum depression
The bill passed the Senate Health and Human Services Committee with a 7-1 vote, and will now be sent to the full Senate for consideration.
