Missouri lawmakers filed more than 300 health-related bills this session covering topics ranging from licensure of healthcare professionals to contraception access and food is medicine.
The largest TAFP health bill in the 2026 legislative session was HB 2372, a 110-page piece of legislation that bundled many bills, known as an omnibus.
The omnibus designates internet and phone-based telehealth visits as in-person and must be covered as such by insurance. Dr. Rieka Yu wrote about the impacts and Health Outcomes of Telehealth and insurance coverage and impacts of Audio-Only Telehealth.
The bill also establishes a Dementia Services Coordinator to reduce barriers to accessing dementia care in the state. Dr. Rieka Yu outlined the impacts of a Dementia Services Coordinator, including national guides and financial resources available to states with these Coordinators.
The Missouri Doula Reimbursement Act was established as part of the omnibus, which would require insurance coverage for doula care and childbirth classes. Dr. Sarah Anderson reviewed the health outcomes of and costs of Insurance Coverage of Doula Services, along with an overview of states that have expanded this coverage.
Food prescriptions were another component of the omnibus. It outlined rules for providers that would allow insurance to pay for food to treat and manage nutrition-related chronic disease. Dr. Bean wrote and testified on Food Prescriptions, covering the basics of what food prescriptions are, how they are funded, and who is eligible to receive them.
This bill and the independently TAPF HB 1826 added Occupational Therapists (OTs) to the list of professionals that may issue disabled placards. Dr. Bean laid out the range of Occupational Therapy Scope of Practice which outlines the role OTs play in individual recovery and care teams.
The omnibus updated health codes to include all epinephrine delivery systems rather than the branded epinephrine pen. Dr. Jennifer Bean wrote about the growing ways epinephrine can be delivered in a community setting in her note Epinephrine Delivery Devices.
Provisions in the omnibus allow a person to have a year’s supply of self-administered contraception. This provision is also a component of the TAFP HB 2596 outlining requirements of insurance companies to cover this year of contraception. Dr. Bean testified about the impacts of Expanded Prescription Contraception Supply before the House Health and Mental Health committee based on a Science Note written by Dr. Jillian Barnas and Dr. Sarah Anderson.
A large portion of the omnibus focused on insurance cost and coverage and set rules around state health plan prescription pricing. These provisions were also independently TAPF in SB 878. Dr. Ramon Martinez III and Dr. Rieka Yu explain the impacts of these policies in Drug Pricing Transparency, Pricing & Transparency in Prescription Drug Costs, and Rising Healthcare Costs. This bill also sets rules around MO HealthNet (Medicaid) prescription pricing and prohibit insurance companies from setting limits on anesthesia payments.
Beyond the omnibus, lawmakers filed 22 healthcare profession licensure compact bills this session, covering professions from respiratory therapists to dental hygienists. Dr. Jennifer Bean wrote and testified in March before the Senate Emerging Issues and Professional Registration committee about the Impacts of Interstate Healthcare Compacts, which allows professionals to practice in states that are a part of the compact. Ultimately HB 2974 combined several bills to allow Missouri athletic trainers, dietitians, and physicians assistants to join interstate compacts, and was TAFP.
Signed into law on April 23, HB 2641 separates hemp used for agriculture from hemp products that cause intoxication. It further classifies and regulates intoxicating products, such as marijuana. MOST wrote about uses for agricultural hemp, including Dr. Vikram Lakhanpal’s Science Note on Hemp in Livestock Feed and Dr. Madeleine Roberts’ Note on Missouri’s history with Hemp in Agriculture. Drs. Jennifer Bean and Ramon Martinez also covered the Economic Impact of Adult-Use Marijuana and Cannabis Legalization.
In addition to insurance coverage updates in the omnibus, HB 1658, HB 2034, and SB 1571 aimed to updated coverage for prosthetic and orthotic devices for individuals on Medicaid, although none left their respective chambers. Dr. Jennifer Bean outlined the Spectrum of Care for Prosthetic Limbs, the impact of prosthetic limb access, and how differences in Medicaid coverage can limit private insurance coverage as well.
Lawmakers also considered insurance coverage for mental health and substance-use treatments. HB 1643 and HB 1717 sought to expand treatment access and coverage for psilocybin, along with provisions guiding providers and state oversight. Dr. Jennifer Bean testified to the Senate Emerging Issues and Professional Registration Committee about Medical Psilocybin Use and First Responder Mental Health.
Dr. Bean also wrote about Flavored Vapes and testified about tobacco and vape product regulations for the House Commerce Committee when they heard HB 2085, which would have pre-empted local control of tobacco and vape sales.
Finally, a number of bills regarding gender affirming policies and medical treatments (HB 1608, HB 1672, HB 1854, HB 2033, SB 861, SB 1200, SB 1264, HB 2065) cleared committees in both chambers but stalled on their respective floors. Dr. Jennifer Bean wrote about the Use of Puberty Blocking Drugs, identifying the primary use case for hormone blocking drugs to treat hormone sensitive cancers and the relatively low use rates for puberty blocking in young adults.