Weekly StateVitals Update: Volume 41 (October 13, 2025)

National

• Supreme Court to Hear Oral Arguments in Conversion Therapy Case. The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) heard oral arguments this week on a challenge to an enacted Colorado state law that bans licensed mental health practitioners from engaging in conversion therapy. The practice is widely discredited by the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association and American Academy of Pediatrics, but the challenge comes from religious conservatives who are licensed practitioners that argue such a ban violates first amendment rights. Notably, the case has implications for the regulation of healthcare as the state argues that the speech, talk therapy in the plaintiff’s perspective, is the same kind of conduct that a medical regulator would often impose restrictions on. The plaintiff argues that talk therapy isn’t similar in nature. In which case, it raises questions as to what qualifies as medical or healthcare practices that can be regulated. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser argued in a brief before the court that a ruling against the state would put in jeopardy other bans on health care treatments that experts say are unsafe or ineffective.  

California

• Governor Signs Healthcare Legislation into Law. This past week, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a number of healthcare bills into law. First, SB 306 was signed into law which seeks to enhance transparency for consumers and healthcare stakeholders by implementing reporting requirements on health plans with regard to prior authorization data, including denials. Additionally, SB 306 establishes a gold-carding like program by requiring the state to identify the health care services approved at a rate of at least 90 percent and would require a plan or insurer to cease requiring prior authorization requirements for such covered health care services by a date determined by the department, which will be no later than January 1, 2028. 

  Second, SB 351 was also signed into law. Notably, the bill prohibits private equity entities involved in physician or dental practices in the state from interfering with the professional judgment of physicians or dentists in making the health care decisions for patients. Additionally, other actions, such as coding and billing procedures for patient care services are also included in the prohibition. 

Maine

• New Healthcare Commission to Oversee Transactions Holds First Meeting. This past week, the Commission to Evaluate Regulatory Review and Oversight of Health Care Transactions held its first meeting since being established by the Legislature this past session. The fifteen member commission was established originally as a means to discuss key healthcare legislative reform proposals that the Legislature felt needed further study and evaluation. In its first meeting, the Commission examined the state’s certificate of need laws and laws related to the regulatory oversight of health care transactions. Notably, members of the commission expressed a desire for enhanced oversight of private equity and for-profit businesses engaging in the state and operating hospitals or other healthcare entities. No official actions or recommendations arose during this meeting. The Commission is expected to meet again in December and is planning to submit a report of legislative recommendations to the Legislature by December 10. 

Michigan

• Federal Court Dismisses Challenge to Abortion Rights Protection. A U.S. District Court dismissed a challenge this past week that argued a 2022 voter approved constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights in the state violated provisions of federal law. The plaintiffs, which were largely represented by the Right to Life of Michigan, had argued that the constitutional amendment violates first amendment and fourteenth amendment rights by depriving parents of the ability to make decisions about medical treatment for their children, burdens the free exercise of religion, and reduces legal protections for women. In the dismissal, the Court aligned with the state’s argument that medical decisions belong to individuals and their doctors of which the constitutional amendment adhered to. 

New Hampshire

• DHHS Issues Rural Health Transformation Plan. This past week, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued its 2025 to 2027 roadmap to launch a new Rural Health Transformation Plan. Included within the roadmap are a number of initiatives funded to improve access to high quality and sustainable services. Some of these initiatives include:

  • Development of a strategy to reduce hospital admission rates in rural communities, particularly for patients with chronic conditions inclusive of heart disease and diabetes. 

  • Expanding access to child care.

  • Continued investments in Mission Zero, the state’s initiative to eliminate the boarding of patients who need inpatient psychiatric care in emergency rooms .

  • Improving community-based long-term care options for adults. 

  • Increased maternal mental health screening rates at community health centers, in addition to an outreach plan for providers and pregnant or postpartum women to ensure timely referrals and access to mental health support. 

  • Launching re-entry programs in county correctional facilities to connect inmates with Medicaid prior to their release. 

  • Improvement of the developmental disability services system.

  It’s expected that some of these initiatives are to be funded in part by the Rural Health Transformation Program. Much of the tactical and operational details have yet to be determined and DHHS is expected bring stakeholders to the table to identify appropriate next steps.

New York

• Drug Utilization Review Board Recommends Pausing Medicaid Coverage of Duchenne Drug. This past week, the New York Drug Utilization Review Board voted unanimously to recommend that the Medicaid program should pause coverage of a prescription drug meant to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The Board is opting to issue such a recommendation while they wait for the Food and Drug Administration to add safety and clinical trial data to product labeling for Elevidys, the drug therapy. The Board also intends to evaluate a new regimen proposed by the manufacturer that seeks to mitigate the risk of liver failure in patients utilizing the drug under a previous regimen. This decision to pause coverage comes after there were reported adverse events experienced by patients this past summer linked to Elevidys, inclusive of death. It’s expected that other states will consider similar recommendations and positions.

Ohio

• House Committees Consider Reproductive Healthcare Legislation. Building off hearings with proponents in recent weeks, the House Health Committee held a hearing this past week for opponents on HB 324. The bill would prohibit a retailer or distributor of dangerous drugs from selling or offering to sell a drug without a prescription if the drug causes one or more severe adverse effects in greater than five percent of the drug’s users. The intent is to target mifepristone. However, opponents argued that how proponents of the measure are asking the state to interpret safety data is flawed and highlighted more than 100 peer-reviewed studies from over 25 years illustrating the safety of mifepristone. However, beyond mifepristone, the legislation stands to potentially prohibit the selling without a prescription of drugs such as Plavix, Wellbutrin, amoxicillin, and ibuprofen. 

  At the same time, the House Medicaid Committee held a hearing on HB 410, which would prohibit state Medicaid funding from going to any reproductive health clinics that provide abortions. Despite existing federal law prohibiting the use of federal Medicaid dollars for most abortion care, the Ohio Right to Life and other stakeholders testified in support of the measure arguing that it’s possible some state or federal Medicaid funds could be being utilized for administrative overhead or referral services that could be related to abortion care.

Pennsylvania

• Bipartisan Legislation to Regulate AI in Healthcare Introduced. A bipartisan group of lawmakers this past week introduced HB 1925 with the intent to provide the state with regulatory authority and enhanced oversight of how artificial intelligence (AI) is utilized by insurers, hospitals and clinicians. Among a myriad of other elements, the bill would:

  • Insurers and providers would be required to adhere to transparency and disclosure requirements for informing the public as to how AI is being utilized by their companies or in their practice settings. 

  • Insurers and providers would be required to ensure that a human decisionmaker is making any decision based on an individual assessment when AI is used for any purpose. 

  • Insurers would be required to attest to the Department of Insurance or Human Services and hospitals must attest to the Department of Health that bias and discrimination already prohibited in existing law have been minimized in the usage of AI.

  The bill also imposes transparency and reporting requirements by payers and providers that state agencies must collect. The bill has been referred to the House Communications and Technology Committee for consideration. 

For additional information and updates on state activity this past week relative to state COVID-19 vaccine guidance, StateVitals Subscribers can check out our guidance tracker.