Signed by Governor Kate Brown

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that establishes a statewide nursing home visit program for parents of newborns.

Highlights:

• Defines “community” as a geographic region, county, tribe, or other group of individuals living in proximity as defined by the Oregon Health Authority by rule (Sec. 1).

• Requires the authority to design, implement, and maintain a voluntary statewide program for providing universal newborn nurse home visiting services to all families with newborns in the state (Sec. 1).

• Requires the authority to consult, coordinate, and collaborate with insurers that offer health benefit plans in the state, hospitals, local public health authorities, the Early Learning Division, existing early childhood home visiting programs, community-based organizations, and social providers, regarding the requirements of the previous highlight (Sec. 1).

• Requires the program to (Sec. 1): 

• Be carried out by registered nurses licensed in Oregon;

• Be provided to families caring for newborns up to the age of 6 months, including foster and adoptive newborns;

• Consist of nurse home visiting services modeled after an evidence-based early childhood home visiting service delivery model that uses criteria established by the United State Department of Health and Human Services, including services that improve outcomes in one or more of the following (Sec. 1):

• Child health;

• Child development and school readiness;

• Family economic self-sufficiency;

• Maternal health;

• Positive parenting;

• Reducing child maltreatment;

• Reducing juvenile delinquency;

• Reducing family violence; and or

• Reducing crime. 

• Requires these services to (Sec. 1):

• Be voluntary with no consequences for those who do not wish to participate;

• Be offered in every community in Oregon;

• Include an evidence-based assessment of the physical, social, and emotional well-being of the family;

• Be accessible to all families with newborns within the community in which the program exists;

• Include at least one visit during the first 3 months of the newborn’s life, and 3 additional visits if the family so chooses;

• Include a follow-up visit no more than three months after the most recent visit; and

• Give information and referrals relevant to each family’s needs.

• Defines “carrier” as any person providing health benefit plans in the state (Sec. 3).

• Defines “enrollee” as an employee, dependent of the employee or an individual otherwise eligible for a group or individual health benefit plan who has enrolled for coverage under the terms of the plan (Sec. 3).

• Requires all health benefit plans in Oregon to reimburse the cost of universal newborn nurse home visiting services as prescribed by the Oregon Health Authority (Sec. 3).

• Prohibits any cost-sharing, coinsurance, or deductible associated with these reimbursement costs from affecting services (Sec. 3).

• Requires carriers to offer the services in their health benefit plans (Sec. 3).

• Requires carriers to notify enrollees about the services when enrollees add newborns to coverage (Sec. 3).

• Requires the addition and incorporation of section three to the Insurance Code (Sec. 2).

• Establishes that this act takes effect on the 91st day after the date on which the 2019 regular session of the Eightieth Legislative Assembly adjourns sine die (Sec. 5).

Full Bill Text