When the General Assembly returns for the final two days of the 2026 legislative session on April 14 and 15, lawmakers will be able to override vetoes and pass any legislation that remains on the docket.
Meanwhile, Gov. Andy Beshear has 10 days to sign bills into law, allow them to become law without his signature or veto them.
During the two days of the session before the veto recess began on April 2, Kentucky lawmakers sent at least 25 health-related bills to the governor’s desk for his consideration, including:
Kentucky Medicaid Reform Act – House Bill 2, sponsored by Rep. Ken Fleming, R-Louisville, would align Kentucky’s Medicaid program with the One Big Beautiful Act that Congress passed last year. The bill only impacts those who are part of the Medicaid expansion population. Among many provisions, the bill would implement federal community engagement requirements for certain able-bodied adults. Other sections of the bill address cost-sharing, eligibility reviews, non-emergency transportation services, accountability for managed care organizations and delivery of dental services. Lawmakers amended the final version of the bill to better align with the federal implementation timelines.
Pharmacy care access – HB3, sponsored by Rep. Amy Neighbors, R-Edmonton, would require the state’s Medicaid program to reimburse pharmacists for providing the routine, preventative, and chronic-care services they already deliver.
Interstate compacts – HB 36, sponsored by Rep. Steve Bratcher, R-Elizabethtown, would allow Kentucky to participate in interstate licensure compacts for respiratory therapists, athletic trainers, and dieticians.
Sexual assault nurse examiners – HB 134, sponsored by Rep. Rebecca Raymer, R-Morgantown, would expand the availability of sexual assault nurse examiners across Kentucky. It calls for a statewide coordinator to recruit nurses, facilitate training and improve collaboration between hospitals, law enforcement and rape crisis centers.
Prior authorization – HB 176, sponsored by Rep. Kim Moser, R-Taylor Mill, would streamline the prior authorization process for health insurance claims by creating exceptions for certain health care providers.
Mental health care – HB 178, sponsored by Moser, aims to support the psychiatric collaborative care model, allowing primary care providers, care managers and consulting psychiatrists to work together on a patient’s mental health care.
Eating disorders – HB 169, sponsored by Fleming, calls on health insurance plans that provide behavioral or mental health care coverage to also provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of feeding or eating disorders.
Nursing licenses – HB 280, sponsored by Moser, would amend Kentucky law to require nurses licensed in other states to satisfy all Kentucky licensing requirements in order to be licensed to practice as a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse in the commonwealth. It would also give the Kentucky Board of Nursing the ability to ask the Cabinet for Health and Family Services for any validated, substantiated finding of adult abuse, neglect or exploitation existing for an individual who is under the state licensing board’s jurisdiction. The bill also addresses some medications prescribed and dispensed in schools.
Veterans’ post-traumatic stress disorder – HB 369, sponsored by Rep. Scott Sharp, R-Ashland, would create provisions in state law that make veterans eligible to receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy in response to post-traumatic stress disorder.
Health care workforce licensure – HB 459, sponsored by Moser, would require the collection of health care workforce participation data by health care licensing authorities and create a license portability framework for out-of-state marriage and family therapists seeking to practice in Kentucky.
Peer support specialist – HB 470, sponsored by Moser, would extend the deadline for alcohol and drug peer support specialists to become registered to Jan. 1, 2028. This bill would address concerns that access to care may be limited due to the initial 2026 deadline that was put into place by HB 505 that was passed during the 2024 legislative session. A Senate committee substitute prohibits the alcohol and drug support specialists from providing psychoeducational services and creates a new section of law that prohibits Kentucky Medicaid from providing coverage for psychoeducational services.
Health data – HB 676, sponsored by Raymer, would require the Legislative Research Commission to conduct a study on the development of a Kentucky statewide health data utility; provide authority to the commission in carrying out the study; require a written report to be submitted to the commission for referral to the Interim Joint Committee on Health Services by Dec. 1.
Medicaid state-directed payment program – HB 689, sponsored by Neighbors, would provide the statutory authority for Kentucky to implement a Medicaid state-directed payment program for physician and non-physician professional services provided through qualifying hospital-affiliated groups, pending federal approval. Medicaid state-directed payment programs are designed to enhance Medicaid reimbursement, helping support providers and strengthen access to care for Medicaid patients.
Kentucky’s Dental Practice Act – HB 776, sponsored by Rep. Derek Lewis, R-London, would modernize Kentucky’s Dental Practice Act to reflect current standards of care, strengthen patient safety and support the next generation of dental professionals.
Funding bill – HB 900, sponsored by Rep. Jason Petrie, R-Elkton, is a comprehensive measure appropriating funds from Kentucky’s Budget Reserve Trust Fund to strengthen infrastructure, drive economic development and support communities across the commonwealth. The health and research portion of the bill would provide:
$2.5 million in each fiscal year 2026–2028 for the Kentucky BioInnovation Fund$6 million in each fiscal year to the Life Learning Center to support an integrated pathway to treatment, rehabilitation and community reintegration in partnership with a nonprofit$1 million in fiscal year 2026-27 and $500,000 in fiscal year 2027-2028 to the Department for Public Health to provide funding for a Kentucky Parkinson’s Disease research registry$1 million in fiscal year 2026-27 to the Attorney General’s Office to support procurement of a vendor to use data analytics to provide fraud and waste prevention and detection services, where information shall be used by the Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control for the investigation of potential fraud$500,000 in each fiscal year for Down Syndrome of Louisville to support operations$250,000 each fiscal year to support the implementation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation training to studentsSpecific line-items for certain local health departments
Podiatry – Senate Bill 18, sponsored by Sen. Craig Richardson, R-Hopkinsville, addresses issues of licensing and supervision of podiatrists. HB 141, sponsored by Rep. Derek Lewis, R-London, was added to the bill, which creates guidelines for the Department of Education to develop high-quality Type 1 diabetes informational materials for parents and guardians of students.
Autism trust fund – SB 69, sponsored by Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, would create an autism spectrum disorder trust fund administered by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. The fund could accept grants, appropriations and other types of contributions to support research and services. The bill would not allow any donations to the fund through an income tax refund. Beshear signed the bill into law on April 3.
Ibogaine research – SB 77, sponsored by Sen. Donald Douglas, R-Nicholasville, would create an ibogaine research and intellectual property fund to be administered by the Department of Agriculture. It would allow the department to partner with a drug developer to conduct clinical trials on using ibogaine to treat substance use disorders and other neurological and mental health conditions.
Behavioral Health Conditional Dismissal Program pilot – SB 90, sponsored by Sen. Brandon Storm, R-London, would extend this pilot project until Jan. 1, 2031. The pilot program began in 2023. It provides an alternative to incarceration by allowing eligible defendants to receive treatment for substance use and/or behavioral health disorders. Among other things, the bill would limit the number of participating counties and extend several of the existing reporting requirements.
Prostheses and orthoses coverage – SB 97, sponsored by Sen. Rick Girdler, R-Somerset, seeks to expand existing prosthetics and orthotics insurance coverage to include devices designed specifically for physical activity such as running, swimming or biking.
Physician assistants – Senate Bill 116, sponsored by Sen. Scott Madon, R-Pineville, would update Kentucky statutes governing physician assistants (PAs) to allow health care teams to operate more efficiently while preserving physician supervision and oversight. The bill also allows credentialed PAs to sign completed driver vision testing forms.
Physician residencies – SB 137, sponsored by Sen. Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield, would allow the state Board of Medical Licensure to issue a provisional license to a physician who completed residency in a foreign country and can meet other requirements. The applicant would need to provide an offer of employment from a licensed health care provider located in an underserved area.
Medicaid oversight – SB 173, sponsored by President Pro Tempore David Givens, R-Greensburg, would create a new section of KRS Chapter 205 to define terms and establish an annual Medicaid state plan and Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program state plan legislative review process. Beshear vetoed SB 173 on April 6, calling it a “legislative power grab” in his veto letter.
Medicaid pilot – Senate Concurrent Resolution 9, sponsored by Meredith, calls for a study of accountable care models used for Medicaid programs in other states. The study would also look at opportunities to implement such a model in Kentucky through a pilot program.
Food is Medicine, Senate Joint Resolution 23, sponsored by Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer, R-Alexandria, declares Kentucky as a “Food is Medicine” state and directs state agencies to advance Food is Medicine initiatives.
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Written by Melissa Patrick. Cross-posted from Kentucky Health News.