Legislature(2023 - 2024)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
05/03/2024 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB225 | |
| HB253 | |
| HB17 | |
| HB237 | |
| HB309 | |
| HB254 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 225 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 253 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 17 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 237 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 309 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 254 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 17-CONTRACEPTIVES COVERAGE:INSURE;MED ASSIST 1:44:12 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN reconvened the meeting and announced the consideration of HB 17 "An Act relating to insurance coverage for contraceptives and related services; relating to medical assistance coverage for contraceptives and related services; and providing for an effective date." [Before the committee is SCS HB 17(HSS).] 1:44:49 PM REPRESENTATIVE ASHLEY CARRICK, District 35, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, sponsor of HB 17, said it would align Alaska statutes with federal contraceptive coverage mandates and provide for up to a 12-month prescription for contraception instead of the current one-to-three-month prescription. She said HB 17 does not include controversial items such as emergency contraception or abortifacients nor would it change anything about the relationship between the provider and the patient, in terms of what to prescribe for a particular patient. She said HB 17 would simply change what the patient can have covered by insurance. 1:46:08 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN asked if HB 17 would legalize drugs that are not currently legal and available to people. 1:46:14 PM REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK answered that it would not. 1:46:19 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN opened public testimony on HB 17. 1:46:44 PM KC CASORT, representing self, Fairbanks, Alaska, testified in support of HB 17. She expressed appreciation for the sponsor for prioritizing the bill and advancing it through the House and Senate. She said HB 17 would provide consistent access to birth control for Alaskans who rely on it for family planning and managing conditions like endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which affects one in ten women in Alaska. She said HB 17 would allow patients to pick up a year's supply of birth control if their doctor decides that's what's best. She described the inconvenience of having to visit the pharmacy within a narrow refill window, often leading to missed doses and emphasized the challenges faced by people without reliable transportation or flexible jobs in accessing medication monthly. She shared that her birth control worked as intended, allowing her to focus on her education and career. She concluded her testimony by expressing her hope that the bill would be passed to improve access to birth control for many Alaskans. 1:49:13 PM DEZARAE ARROWSUN, Board Member, Juneau Pro-Choice Coalition, Juneau, Alaska, testified in support of HB 17. She said it was very important that women be able to maintain their birth control regularly. She said she had an abortion because she ran out of birth control and was unable to get it in time before becoming pregnant. She said it was an awful decision to have to make, and that she didn't want other women to have to make that decision if they are unable to maintain their prescription. She urged support for HB 17. 1:50:15 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN closed public testimony on HB 17. 1:50:36 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN solicited the will of the committee. 1:50:40 PM SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON moved to report SCS CSHB 17(HSS), work order 33-LS0222\R, from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). She further moved to grant Legislative Legal the authority to make corrections to any typographic errors in the bill. 1:51:00 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN found no objection and SCS CSHB 17(HSS) was reported from the Senate Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.