Recommend Legislation
Louisiana Stop the Bleed
The Louisiana Chapter of the American College of Surgeons recommends adoption of legislation that would require the installation of trauma kits in public schools and/or public buildings throughout the state to use in the case of a mass casualty event to stop traumatic bleeding injuries and save lives, as well as, require training of school personnel and individuals to use the trauma kits in accordance with training standards of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma and the national Stop the Bleed Campaign.
Support
Raise Minimum Age to Purchase Tobacco
HB 38 (Hoffman)
The legislation seeks to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco and vapor products from 18 to 21 years old. The legislation will help steer young adults from trying and becoming addicted to tobacco products, which will unquestionably help to avoid diseases such as cancer, heart disease, asthma, and stroke to name just a few. Ninety-five percent of adults who smoke started this deadly addiction before the age of 21. The Centers for Disease control characterizes smoking and tobacco use as the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.
Currently nine states – California, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon and Virginia have enacted legislation that raises the age to purchase tobacco products to 21 years old.
Support
Bariatric Surgery Coverage for Louisiana State Employees and Include as a Louisiana Essential Health Benefit
The Louisiana Chapter of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) recommends adoption of legislation that would add coverage for bariatric surgery for the treatment of obesity to the state employee health plan and add it as an essential health benefit in Louisiana. More than 36 percent of Louisiana residents are affected by obesity and ranks 4th in nation in adults with type 2 diabetes. It is estimated that obesity related costs is $32.65 billion in Louisiana. Louisiana eliminated bariatric surgery coverage for state employees as a benefit in 20xx.
SR 35 Study Bill (Boudreaux)
Support
Limit Noncompete Contract Provisions for Physicians
SB 177 (White)
The legislation would limit noncompete contract clauses to five years of continuous practice in the same geographical area for physicians and other healthcare providers. Currently, there is no limit to the duration of a noncompete clause in a contract. The Louisiana ACS the bill provides a balanced framework to address the medical needs of a community while also providing for future growth for physicians and health care services in that same community. approach.
Support
Vehicle Child Safety Seat Standards
SB 76 (Tarver)
The legislation would update Louisiana law to align with the standards for child safety seats and seat belt usage in vehicles endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. This important safety legislation will help decrease the chance of serious injury to children in motor vehicle crashes. There were 110 motor vehicle crash deaths of Louisiana children between the ages of 1 – 14 from 2015-2017.
Oppose
Out of Network Claim Dispute Resolution
HB 371 (Talbot)
The legislation would establish an independent dispute resolution process for determining the payment rate for a health care service provided by an out of network physician for the purpose of addressing surprise medical bills. The Louisiana ACS opposes the use of Medicare as a benchmark for payment as referenced in the bill.