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The bill before the governor would simplify requirements for nursing instructors and increase transparency for pharmacy benefit managers. The bill would also establish a research fund for psilocybin, a compound found in some psychedelic mushrooms.
HB 1259 would eliminate the 18-month clinical experience requirement for instructors and only require a nursing license to train students.
The bill would also provide employers with more information about pharmacy benefits. This will allow the contractor to conduct an annual audit of the third-party administrator responsible for pharmacy benefits.
Rep. Brad Barrett (R-Richmond) said officials reached a compromise on language to address a lack of transparency and high health care costs.
“Those words created confidence in the system,” Barrett said. “Sometimes we pass language that requires additional work, and this shows that it can be accomplished.”
The bill outlines what can be required in an audit and the responsibilities of pharmacy benefit managers for conducting the audit. PBMs would not be permitted to charge fees for audits required under this bill.
The PBM language was originally included in a separate bill focused on healthcare transparency.
Read more: Indiana lawmakers want to streamline licensing requirements amid nursing shortage
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The bill also reinstated language that would establish a fund to provide financial support to research institutions studying how psilocybin can treat mental health issues and other medical conditions. The bill would not legalize use outside of clinical research.
Barrett said the bill allows the state to “secure and oversee” funding.
“They discovered that this drug is a breakthrough drug,” Barrett said. “And Indiana can lead the nation in research. This fund simply establishes the mechanism.”
Among other things, psilocybin is being studied as a “breakthrough treatment” for post-traumatic stress disorder, treatment-resistant depression, and substance use disorders.
Abigail is our health reporter. Contact details are as follows: aruhman@wboi.org.
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