Senator Lincoln Fillmore proposes the following substitute bill:


1     
MEDICAL RATIONING AMENDMENTS

2     
2022 GENERAL SESSION

3     
STATE OF UTAH

4     
Chief Sponsor: Lincoln Fillmore

5     
House Sponsor: Brady Brammer

6     

7     LONG TITLE
8     General Description:
9          This bill enacts provisions relating to the allocation of certain health care resources.
10     Highlighted Provisions:
11          This bill:
12          ▸     defines terms; and
13          ▸     requires the department to make rules regarding the procedure that the department
14     must follow when adopting, modifying, requiring, facilitating, or recommending
15     criteria related to the rationing of scarce health care resources.
16     Money Appropriated in this Bill:
17          None
18     Other Special Clauses:
19          This bill provides a special effective date.
20          This bill provides revisor instructions.
21     Utah Code Sections Affected:
22     ENACTS:
23          26-1-43, Utah Code Annotated 1953
24     Utah Code Sections Affected by Revisor Instructions:
25          26-1-43, Utah Code Annotated 1953

26     

27     Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
28          Section 1. Section 26-1-43 is enacted to read:
29          26-1-43. Requirements for issuing, recommending, or facilitating rationing
30     criteria.
31          (1) As used in this section:
32          (a) "Health care resource" means:
33          (i) health care as defined in Section 78B-3-403;
34          (ii) a prescription drug as defined in Section 58-17b-102;
35          (iii) a prescription device as defined in Section 58-17b-102;
36          (iv) a nonprescription drug as defined in Section 58-17b-102; or
37          (v) any supply or treatment that is intended for use in the course of providing health
38     care as defined in Section 78B-3-403.
39          (b) (i) "Rationing criteria" means any requirement, guideline, process, or
40     recommendation regarding:
41          (A) the distribution of a scarce health care resource; or
42          (B) qualifications or criteria for a person to receive a scarce health care resource.
43          (ii) "Rationing criteria" includes crisis standards of care with respect to any health care
44     resource.
45          (c) "Scarce health care resource" means a health care resource:
46          (i) for which the need for the health care resource in the state or region significantly
47     exceeds the available supply of that health care resource in that state or region; and
48          (ii) that, based on the circumstances described in Subsection (1)(c)(i), is distributed or
49     provided using written requirements, guidelines, processes, or recommendations as a factor in
50     the decision to distribute or provide the health care resource.
51          (2) (a) On or before July 1, 2022, the department shall make rules in accordance with
52     Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, to establish a procedure that the
53     department will follow to adopt, modify, require, facilitate, or recommend rationing criteria.
54          (b) Beginning July 1, 2022, the department may not adopt, modify, require, facilitate,
55     or recommend rationing criteria unless the department follows the procedure established by the
56     department under Subsection (2)(a).

57          (3) The procedures developed by the department under Subsection (2) shall include, at
58     a minimum:
59          (a) a requirement that the department notify the following individuals in writing before
60     rationing criteria are issued, are recommended, or take effect:
61          (i) the Administrative Rules Review Committee created in Section 63G-3-501;
62          (ii) the governor or the governor's designee;
63          (iii) the president of the Senate or the president's designee;
64          (iv) the speaker of the House of Representatives or the speaker's designee;
65          (v) the executive director or the executive director's designee; and
66          (vi) if rationing criteria affect hospitals in the state, a representative of an association
67     representing hospitals throughout the state, as designated by the executive director; and
68          (b) procedures for an emergency circumstance which shall include, at a minimum:
69          (i) a description of the circumstances under which emergency procedures described in
70     this Subsection (3)(b) may be used; and
71          (ii) a requirement that the department notify the individuals described in Subsections
72     (3)(a)(i) through (vi) as soon as practicable, but no later than 48 hours after the rationing
73     criteria take effect.
74          (4) (a) Within 30 days after the effective date of the bill, the department shall send to
75     the Administrative Rules Review Committee all rationing criteria that:
76          (i) were adopted, modified, required, facilitated, or recommended by the department
77     prior to the effective date of the bill; and
78          (ii) on the effective date of the bill, were in effect and in use to distribute or qualify a
79     person to receive scarce health care resources.
80          (b) During the 2022 interim, the Administrative Rules Review Committee shall, under
81     Subsection 63G-3-501(3)(d)(i), review each of the rationing criteria submitted by the
82     department under Subsection (4)(a).
83          (5) The requirements described in this section and rules made under this section shall
84     apply regardless of whether rationing criteria:
85          (a) have the force and effect of law, or is solely advisory, informative, or descriptive;
86          (b) are carried out or implemented directly or indirectly by the department or by other
87     individuals or entities; or

88          (c) are developed solely by the department or in collaboration with other individuals or
89     entities.
90          (6) This section:
91          (a) may not be suspended under Section 53-2a-209 or any other provision of state law
92     relating to a state of emergency;
93          (b) does not limit a private entity from developing or implementing rationing criteria;
94     and
95          (c) does not require the department to adopt, modify, require, facilitate, or recommend
96     rationing criteria that the department does not determine to be necessary or appropriate.
97          (7) Subsection (2) does not apply to rationing criteria that are adopted, modified,
98     required, facilitated, or recommended by the department:
99          (a) through the regular, non-emergency rulemaking procedure described in Section
100     63G-3-301;
101          (b) if the modification is solely to correct a technical error in rationing criteria such as
102     correcting obvious errors and inconsistencies including those involving punctuation,
103     capitalization, cross references, numbering, and wording;
104          (c) to the extent that compliance with this section would result in a direct violation of
105     federal law;
106          (d) that are necessary for administration of the Medicaid program;
107          (e) if state law explicitly authorizes the department to engage in rulemaking to
108     establish rationing criteria; or
109          (f) if rationing criteria are authorized directly through a general appropriation bill that
110     is validly enacted.
111          Section 2. Effective date.
112          If approved by two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, this bill takes effect
113     upon approval by the governor, or the day following the constitutional time limit of Utah
114     Constitution, Article VII, Section 8, without the governor's signature, or in the case of a veto,
115     the date of veto override.
116          Section 3. Revisor instructions.
117          The Legislature intends that the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, in
118     preparing the Utah Code database for publication, replace the references in Subsection 26-1-43

119     (4)(a) from "the effective date of this bill" to the bill's actual effective date.