Signed by Governor Tina Kotek

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with senate amendments and pass a bill that expands medicaid to authorize protections for abortion and gender affirming care.

Highlights:

• Specifies that every individual has a fundamental right to make decisions about their reproductive health (Sec. 3).

• Authorizes any person to bring action against a public body, or an officer, employee, or agent of a public body in order to enforce the requirement of their right to make decisions about reproductive care and health (Sec. 4).

• Prohibits a public body from subjecting an individual to criminal or civil penalty based on the individual’s actions or omissions in exercising their reproductive health rights (Sec. 5).

• Specifies that a public body is not required to provide or pay for reproductive rights (Sec. 5).

• Requires that an officer of the public body engaged in the provision of reproductive health care advise each individual who is provided reproductive health care information and services in, writing and orally, of their rights (Sec. 6).

• Authorizes an agent of a public body to refuse the duty of offering reproductive healthcare information due to religious or personal beliefs, but must notify their superior in writing of their refusal so arrangements can be made so the individual seeking care can be advised by another agent (Sec. 7).

• Authorizes a minor under the age of 15 to give consent, without their parent or guardian, to receive an abortion if it is provided by a health care provider who is acting within their scope of practice and believes that the parents involvement would be harmful to the minor (Sec. 8).

• Exempts a health plan benefit from covering an abortion if the insurer offering the plan has a certificate of authority to transact insurance in Oregon issued by the Department of Consumer and Business Services and excluded abortions in all its individual, small employer, and large employer group plans during the 2017 plan year (Sec. 12).

• Prohibits a carrier of insurance offering a health benefit plan in the state from denying or limiting coverage under the plan for gender-affirming treatment that is deemed medically necessary by a physician or behavioral health care provider (Sec. 20).

• Requires that an insurance carrier contract with a network of gender-affirming treatment providers and ensure that all enrollees have geographical access without unreasonable delay to providers, as well as out-of -network gender-affirming services with out-of-pocket costs for the services no greater than the out-of-pocket costs for the services when covered by an in-network provider (Sec. 20).

• Requires that the Department of Consumer and Business Services evaluate compliance with this section in each examination or analysis of the market conduct of a carrier (Sec. 20).

• Prohibits an insurer of medical malpractice from taking adverse action against a provider if the adverse action is based solely on the provider’s authorizing or providing reproductive or gender-affirming health care in accordance with state law (Sec. 31).

• Prohibits the board from revoking or suspending authorization to practice social work, psychology, or therapy if it relates solely to the individual’s provision of work relating to reproductive and gender-affirming care (Sec. 31).

• Prohibits the Oregon State Board of Nursing from suspending or revoking a person’s license because of the individual’s provision of a reproductive or gender-affirming health service in another state (Sec. 35).

• Exempts the name, address, or location of an individual authorized to provide reproductive and gender-affirming services from being disclosed in public records (Sec. 40).

• Specifies that a person commits a crime of interfering with a healthcare facility if they interfere with access to or from a healthcare facility, or disrupts the normal functioning of the facility by (Sec. 45):

• Physically obstruct the free passage of a person seeking to enter or leave the facility;

• Makes noise that disturbs the peace within the facility;

• Trespasses onto the property;

• Calls the facility with no purpose of communication;

• Subjecting patients and employees to alarm with a threat to inflict harm.

• Classifies interfering with a healthcare facility as a Class A misdemeanor (Sec. 45).

• Specifies that nothing in this section prohibits lawful picketing, protesting, or assembly (Sec. 45).

• Specifies that this Act is necessary to preserve public peace, health, and safety and is to take effect upon its passage (Sec. 61).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to amend and pass a bill that expands medicaid to authorize protections for abortion and gender affirming care.

Highlights:

• Specifies that every individual has a fundamental right to make decisions about their reproductive health (Sec. 3).

• Authorizes any person to bring action against a public body, or an officer, employee, or agent of a public body in order to enforce the requirement of their right to make decisions about reproductive care and health (Sec. 4).

• Prohibits a public body from subjecting an individual to criminal or civil penalty based on the individual’s actions or omissions in exercising their reproductive health rights (Sec. 5).

• Specifies that a public body is not required to provide or pay for reproductive rights (Sec. 5).

• Requires that an officer of the public body engaged in the provision of reproductive health care advise each individual who is provided reproductive health care information and services in, writing and orally, of their rights (Sec. 6).

• Authorizes an agent of a public body to refuse the duty of offering reproductive healthcare information due to religious or personal beliefs, but must notify their superior in writing of their refusal so arrangements can be made so the individual seeking care can be advised by another agent (Sec. 7).

• Authorizes a minor under the age of 15 to give consent, without their parent or guardian, to receive an abortion if it is provided by a health care provider who is acting within their scope of practice and believes that the parents involvement would be harmful to the minor (Sec. 8).

• Exempts a health plan benefit from covering an abortion if the insurer offering the plan has a certificate of authority to transact insurance in Oregon issued by the Department of Consumer and Business Services and excluded abortions in all its individual, small employer, and large employer group plans during the 2017 plan year (Sec. 12).

• Prohibits a carrier of insurance offering a health benefit plan in the state from denying or limiting coverage under the plan for gender-affirming treatment that is deemed medically necessary by a physician or behavioral health care provider (Sec. 20).

• Requires that an insurance carrier contract with a network of gender-affirming treatment providers and ensure that all enrollees have geographical access without unreasonable delay to providers, as well as out-of -network gender-affirming services with out-of-pocket costs for the services no greater than the out-of-pocket costs for the services when covered by an in-network provider (Sec. 20).

• Requires that the Department of Consumer and Business Services evaluate compliance with this section in each examination or analysis of the market conduct of a carrier (Sec. 20).

• Prohibits an insurer of medical malpractice from taking adverse action against a provider if the adverse action is based solely on the provider’s authorizing or providing reproductive or gender-affirming health care in accordance with state law (Sec. 31).

• Prohibits the board from revoking or suspending authorization to practice social work, psychology, or therapy if it relates solely to the individual’s provision of work relating to reproductive and gender-affirming care (Sec. 31).

• Prohibits the Oregon State Board of Nursing from suspending or revoking a person’s license because of the individual’s provision of a reproductive or gender-affirming health service in another state (Sec. 35).

• Exempts the name, address, or location of an individual authorized to provide reproductive and gender-affirming services from being disclosed in public records (Sec. 40).

• Specifies that a person commits a crime of interfering with a healthcare facility if they interfere with access to or from a healthcare facility, or disrupts the normal functioning of the facility by (Sec. 45):

• Physically obstruct the free passage of a person seeking to enter or leave the facility;

• Makes noise that disturbs the peace within the facility;

• Trespasses onto the property;

• Calls the facility with no purpose of communication;

• Subjecting patients and employees to alarm with a threat to inflict harm.

• Classifies interfering with a healthcare facility as a Class A misdemeanor (Sec. 45).

• Specifies that nothing in this section prohibits lawful picketing, protesting, or assembly (Sec. 45).

• Specifies that this Act is necessary to preserve public peace, health, and safety and is to take effect upon its passage (Sec. 61).

Full Bill Text