[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6361939,"mediaKeyId","2169205-9feae096bc85d133a23cb693f320a82f","parentId",2169205,"title","Senate committee advances bill banning insurer 'white‑bagging' for physician‑administered drugs","audioSeconds",528,"startMs",98000,"endMs",626000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2169205-9feae096bc85d133a23cb693f320a82f&start=98&end=626","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2169205-9feae096bc85d133a23cb693f320a82f/thumbnail_98000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6361939/Mississippi/Senate-committee-advances-bill-banning-insurer-whitebagging-for-physicianadministered-drugs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6361939-7a3b25f864c91be48d91b2349e03ce11/orig.mp4?Expires=1771153813&Signature=bLm4ldagEfgrTcjh~9dos7J-MmGvZCEwLDxGRHrpFknsiHl~4Xr7-l6lKMBohZ6Zg88tEkKEFdnztOR1AtEC1CI9PM9Tpd038lm3s7rtO~FFk0BLK4zWZ4ShO0W6Gn8cFw4T-21Ljpb69RYIHov17yJTG7Ggks~XC4v~KFwDAkKvYi-GESjEWFolykuJXtesfCR7ATap8Imes8ajqybzPOTfhN4bSIsgdXxMVyo~s~UPq111vUe90DDECIl-ZSx2qgkc3aAHFvqPfjMb1YcPc0VM9yKFXZluIONDOxhagr7pVTybrEAHC6GZvbjvksJwDldazQAbqgBZkkoJFyoxeQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Mississippi Legislature","date","2025-01-30T00:00:00Z","article","The Mississippi Senate Insurance Committee on May 20 advanced Senate Bill 2712, a measure that would prohibit health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from requiring that physician‑administered specialty medications be routed outside a treating facility for patient pickup or home delivery.

Senator Boyd, the bill’s author, told the committee the measure targets so‑called “white‑bagging” and “brown‑bagging” practices, in which insurers or PBMs require drugs be supplied by a specialty pharmacy rather than stocked by the treating provider. Boyd said the bill applies only to physician‑administered drugs and not to self‑administered maintenance medications.

“Patient safety concerns greatly when this happens,” Boyd said, citing risks to refrigerated (“cold‑chain”) drugs, potential tampering or contamination, delayed treatment start times and challenges with dosing adjustments when providers cannot directly procure medications. She said hospitals and physicians support the proposal.

Boyd walked the committee through the bill’s text, noting definitions and line references that specify covered persons, health insurance issuers, participating providers and PBMs, and that the measure would prohibit an insurer or PBM from refusing to authorize, approve or pay for covered physician‑administered drugs when those drugs are provided by a hospital. She said the bill would require provider agreements to make drug administration payable and require payment to providers at the rate in the applicable health insurance agreement.

A committee member questioned whether the bill creates exceptions when a hospital legitimately cannot obtain a specialty drug. Boyd responded that the bill would not bar legitimate procurement by providers, but would bar contract terms that require white‑bagging or force patients to carry physician‑administered medications from their home to the provider.

The bill sponsor also said the measure would be aligned with the state’s consumer protection framework, referring to the consumer protection act language in the bill text.

Motion and procedural action: a committee member moved “Title sufficient, due pass.” The motion carried and SB 2712 was reported from committee.

Why it matters: supporters said the bill protects patients from delayed or compromised treatment and reduces administrative and liability risks for providers; opponents or skeptics raised questions about operational exceptions when specialty supply is not locally available.

Next steps: the bill will be reported out of committee for further Senate consideration.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Insurance - Room 409, 30 January, 2025; 9:00 A.M.","oneSentenceSummary","The Mississippi Senate Insurance Committee on May 20 advanced Senate Bill 2712, a measure that would prohibit health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from requiring physician‑administered specialty medications be routed outside a treating facility for patient pickup or home delivery.","taxTitle","Insurance, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Mississippi","taxId",29349,"location","Mississippi","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":46,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6361930,"Votes at a glance: Insurance committee reports multiple bills including telemedicine, insurer appointment, cybersecurity and Medicaid formulary",492,1118000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2169205-9feae096bc85d133a23cb693f320a82f&start=626&end=1118","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2169205-9feae096bc85d133a23cb693f320a82f/thumbnail_626000.jpg","/articles/6361930/Mississippi/Votes-at-a-glance-Insurance-committee-reports-multiple-bills-including-telemedicine-insurer-appointment-cybersecurity-and-Medicaid-formulary","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6361930-f2c838c57f9cac5e4c65657e6e9b9e8f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771153813&Signature=KjEO-H9m8p0BXP4MoEYs~NxQdBbpPsQsO~icwRQ~B0HMQYTzYMvdYdLjrsXtr6E5ug85i3agwbRgBupKBwCS7Ox8PBNs5Btze23F5S3ZS0kMGEJ05cBhh5pIhUlLgFOAwYsIPDN6JQhnWafdQNPyzIlbfJii1TfABhTMzjRhcMUiObHKdqb3ws3FtP1vOchP8E6OE829P2wW2-DYqduR3y2nNcffgoOY7P8KnShR7SL8sGxZvtEHzPFrE~1Dp~ylnwL1clZNABUHAqgKYDvAADJT3JbLgyy0MBDsAjOer6ZHpHgxghiSOt4arnisze5HmeGbYTjEPHNZptHLn6KSYQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Mississippi Senate Insurance Committee on May 20 reported a series of bills to the Senate after testimony and brief debate. Committee action included votes to report bills addressing telemedicine, the office of insurance commissioner, Medicaid formulary treatment parity, insurer holding‑company rules, and cybersecurity coverage in the state guaranty association.

Key committee actions (motion text reflects committee record):

- Senate Bill 2415 — Telemedicine repeal removal: Motion \"Title sufficient, due pass\" carried; SB 2415 was reported. Committee discussion described the item as removing the statutory repealer for telemedicine provisions enacted during the COVID‑19 emergency; supporters cited expanded access to care and mental‑health benefits and urged deletion of the repealer to preserve continuity of telemedicine rules.

- Senate Bill 2024 — Insurance Commissioner: Motion to report carried. The bill would change the office of insurance commissioner from an elected position to one appointed by the governor, subject to Senate advice and consent; the bill sets minimum qualifications for nominees including age, a bachelor’s degree and insurance experience. Sponsors framed the change as aligning the office with other appointed regulatory posts; no roll‑call tally was recorded in the transcript.

- Senate Bill 2388 — Medicaid formulary parity: Motion \"Title sufficient to pass, committee substitute\" carried. The committee substitute removes a proposed mandate for the state health plan and instead seeks parity on the Medicaid formulary so non‑opioid/non‑narcotic drugs are not discriminated against; sponsors said the change levels the playing field between classes of medications.

- Senate Bill 2401 — Study committee on certification of health benefit plans: Motion \"Title sufficient, due pass\" carried. SB 2401 would create a study committee composed of legislative leaders, agency officials and insurer and hospital designees to report recommendations by Dec. 1, 2025.

- Senate Bill 2412 — Insurance Holding Company Act update (NAIC group capital calculation): Motion \"Title sufficient to pass\" carried. Sponsors said the technical change aligns state statute with NAIC accreditation standards to be adopted by Jan. 1, 2026 and does not affect the wind pool.

- Senate Bill 2413 — Strengthen Mississippi Homes: See separate coverage (article id: sb2413-strengthen-homes) for substantive debate; committee passed the committee substitute.

- Senate Bill 2894 — Cybersecurity insurance and guaranty association coverage: Motion \"File submission, due pass\" carried. Sponsor said the bill would add cyber insurance to coverage under the Mississippi Insurance Guaranty Association, raise certain per‑claim limits (from $300,000 to $400,000) and extend guaranty protection in specified transfer cases.

Procedural note: committee actions were generally recorded as voice votes in the transcript with motions described as \"title sufficient\" or similar committee‑procedural language; the transcript records ‘‘Aye’’ with no detailed roll‑call tallies for each bill in the public hearing record.

Next steps: all reported bills will proceed to the Senate calendar for further consideration.","The Senate Insurance Committee on May 20 reported multiple bills to the Senate, including measures on telemedicine, the insurance commissioner’s office, Medicaid formulary parity, insurer holding‑company rules and cyber‑insurance guaranty coverage.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6361935,"Senate committee advances 'Strengthen Mississippi Homes' mitigation program funded by insurer fee increase",1074,1604000,2678000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2169205-9feae096bc85d133a23cb693f320a82f&start=1604&end=2678","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2169205-9feae096bc85d133a23cb693f320a82f/thumbnail_1604000.jpg","/articles/6361935/Mississippi/Senate-committee-advances-Strengthen-Mississippi-Homes-mitigation-program-funded-by-insurer-fee-increase","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6361935-b17dfb2e8e371935b41b3f16982ada73/orig.mp4?Expires=1771153813&Signature=bXAzpCAqLJxTEJ2mT2kgXAWy2mmpJI~JwJfldD2jUFaIlq6L6x0zh6HaIh0YBManYXrnJwqo5x5LOWIqrgfXq66FTNipopf-JF5yaVo71WL2ethfWuXlLg~DPSPY7IkMGxRntF2CaL16YJL-WF9MW6LUtzQv70UScyLghSOUCBpctT2jBqnOXcurXJxu8G9Wtg7jSoR6m8fLSYNf1TjBQq7xYk1y1tYBQH77GrV68bO-jrNLW08n~Pq9U8qHox3m9QtwL3YIHBo5JOXKK2KqZZM84F11WZq0IsFhwfyMqftUbWGIBIGcTSQQaSnwCqpH2S1KbaM5oz-f91Pj2ZdZnQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Insurance Committee on May 20 advanced Senate Bill 2413, a multi‑part mitigation measure that would expand and rename the state’s hurricane‑mitigation effort to \"Strengthen Mississippi Homes\" and fund it by raising a per‑agent insurer fee.

Under the committee substitute described by sponsors, the bill removes earlier proposed diversions from the state wind‑pool and focuses on grants and retrofits aimed at reducing wind damage to homes and eligible commercial property. Committee discussion said the state wind‑pool holds roughly $440 million in assets and that last year the Legislature appropriated $5 million into the mitigation fund.

The bill would increase a company‑paid per‑agent fee from $25 to $50; the sponsor said the additional $25 per agent would be dedicated to the mitigation program and that, based on current counts of approximately 720,000 agent entries, the change would generate roughly $18 million annually. Sponsors said the program expects to reserve $15 million as an annual spending target and any funds in excess would lapse to the general fund.

Mitigation measures described in committee include roof sheathing repairs (decking waterproofing and screw fasteners), window fortification with shutters or strengthened glazing, and other retrofits that conform to IBHS (Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety) standards. The sponsor said the program prioritizes homes, but may include commercial properties such as poultry houses, where modest expenditures could reduce catastrophic loss.

Committee members pressed the commissioner and sponsor on program design questions: whether eligibility should be limited to jurisdictions that have adopted and enforce modern building codes or “code‑plus” standards (an approach used in neighboring states), how contractors would be qualified and selected, and whether mitigation dollars would be reimbursed to homeowners or paid directly to contractors. The insurer commissioner said approved contractors and third‑party inspectors would be used and that the state has started mitigation pilots on the Gulf Coast; he opposed an amendment that would restrict eligibility to jurisdictions with adopted codes, advising such changes be handled separately.

IBHS‑approved contractors: the commissioner said three contractors had IBHS approval at the time of the hearing and additional applicants were in process. Sponsors stressed workforce and contractor availability limit the annual number of retrofits.

Motion and procedural action: the committee adopted a motion ‘‘Title sufficient to pass, committee substitute’’ and SB 2413 was reported from committee.

Why it matters: supporters said targeted mitigation reduces losses across neighborhoods, encourages insurers to return to the market and protects lives and property; skeptics argued broader code adoption and enforcement would produce larger, systemic risk reductions than the program’s initial scope of roughly 1,000 homes a year.

Next steps: SB 2413 was reported and will proceed for further Senate consideration.","The Senate Insurance Committee advanced Senate Bill 2413, renaming and revising the hurricane‑mitigation program to fund home and commercial property wind‑strengthening using an increased insurer‑paid agent fee; debate centered on eligibility, building codes and contractor certification.","actionData","errors"]

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Senate committee advances bill banning insurer 'white‑bagging' for physician‑administered drugs

Votes at a glance: Insurance committee reports multiple bills including telemedicine, insurer appointment, cybersecurity and Medicaid formulary

Senate committee advances 'Strengthen Mississippi Homes' mitigation program funded by insurer fee increase