The CCHF Model State Legislation Library was designed to provide state policymakers with model legislation that protects patient rights, individual freedom of choice, medical privacy, and affordable access to care. The language of each proposal has been written as a template for ready adoption or easy adaptation in any state.

 

NewSummary of Five Ideas for a Patient Rights Bill

Summary of Five Ideas for a Patient Rights Bill

This is a one-page summary of five pieces of state-based legislation published within our Model State Legislation Library that you could use to create a bill of patients rights under a declared emergency, in the exam room and at the hospital.

Right of Cancer Patients to Protect Their Medical Data

Right of Cancer Patients to Protect Their Medical Data

Cancer patients and their families are frequently contacted by researchers and asked for information regarding their treatment or illness. The data collected is then often complied into state registries that may be shared with the federal government or national databases. State legislators should protect the medical privacy of cancer patients and not allow their data to be shared beyond state registries without the patient's permission.

Hospital Price Transparency

Hospital Price Transparency

Despite a federal law that mandates that hospitals display the costs of their services and treatments to patients, less than 15% of hospitals do so. This legislation provides protections to patients who are unaware of the costs (due to a failure of the hospital to comply with price transparency laws) associated with their treatment costs.

Right of Hospitalized Patients to Receive Treatment from Their Own Doctors

Right of Hospitalized Patients to Receive Treatment from Their Own Doctors

A bill to protect a patient's right to be treated by their regular physician when admitted to a hospital. Establishing protection for physicians to treat their patients even if a patient has been admitted to a hospital where that physician is not employed.

Right to Prescribe and Dispense Drugs for Off-Label Purposes without Retribution

Right to Prescribe and Dispense Drugs for Off-Label Purposes without Retribution

A bill for an act relating to health; establishing protections for practitioners and pharmacists when prescribing or dispensing a prescription drug for an off-label use; proposing coding for new law in your state.

Ivermectin Available Over-the-Counter

Ivermectin Available Over-the-Counter

A bill that would make Ivermection available to all patients, providing easy access to life-saving medication when practice protocols or biased decision-making prevent physicians from prescribing ivermection (safe and effective for over 40 years) and prohibiting pharmacists from refusing to dispense a lawfully-written prescription.

Protect Newborn Genetic Privacy Rights

Protect Newborn Genetic Privacy Rights

Parents are permitted to refuse newborn genetic screening or to choose private newborn genetic screening. Notwithstanding any other state or federal law or regulation, prior to conducting newborn genetic screening, a health care facility or health care provider must receive the express, separate, written, voluntary, informed consent of the parents or guardian of a newborn child. A general consent permitting treatment signed by the parents or guardian at admission to a facility does not fulfill this requirement. This consent requirement cannot be waived for any reason.

Tax-Penalty Prohibited for Failure to Buy Health Insurance

Tax-Penalty Prohibited for Failure to Buy Health Insurance

Although the mandate to purchase health insurance under Obamacare was ruled by the U.S. Supreme Court to be unconstitutional, Chief Justice ruled that the Congress could tax citizens for inactivity -- for failing to purchase government-approved health insurance. State legislatures should now stand up under their 10th Amendment States' Rights authority to prohibit the taxation of their citizens by the IRS for failure to buy health insurance. NOTE: the requirement to register one's health insurance status with the federal government annually will create a national database unlike any ever before created. Every citizen must register every year with the IRS, whether they pay taxes or not.

Consent Requirements For Release of Health Records

Consent Requirements For Release of Health Records

A bill for consent requirements for release or disclosure of health records

Contact Tracing

Contact Tracing

A bill for an act relating to public health; creating a COVID-19 testing and contact tracing bill of rights. Establishing grants to small employers to assist in establishing COVID-19 testing for their employees; appropriating money.