UAFP 2025 Legislative Recap By Maryann Martindale, CEO, UAFP If asked to describe this year’s legislative session, I would liken it to a kid who hides behind a tree or bush to avoid being seen by someone. Health care advocates did a bit of duck and cover this session, as the attention of lawmakers was focused on issues (real or imagined) other than health care. In a “knock on wood” moment, this session was actually not too bad, certainly not as bad or potentially bad as previous years, but there were still several key bills worth discussing. The following bills passed: • HB81 Fluoride Amendments: Utah is No. 1 again ... for being the first state to ban fluoride in the water, and as our legislators take a victory lap, this isn’t the “win” they seem to think it is. We opposed this, but once we learned this was a leadership-supported bill, we knew the writing was on the wall. We’ll see the negative impacts of this change, particularly in children, with increased tooth decay and weakened enamel leading to lifelong dental issues. UAFP Rank: VERY BAD • HB257 Pharmacy Benefit Amendments: For several years now, we have supported bills that would ensure pharmacy rebates and credits go directly toward patient costs or copays. While the copay accumulator bill didn’t pass, this bill requires pharmacies to count rebates directly against patient costs rather than keeping them as additional revenue. UAFP Rank: GOOD • HB233 School Curriculum Amendments: Unfortunately, this is a bill that gave opponents of Planned Parenthood a win while depriving our schools of a solid and state-supported health curriculum. For years, Planned Parenthood has provided sound health education programs, particularly around maturation. They follow state‑mandated content rules to the letter. Now, schools are faced with creating their own programs, finding appropriate people to teach and covering those costs entirely. UAFP Rank: BAD • HB402 Food Available at Schools: This bill requires healthier food to be provided in school lunches. While we fully support healthier food for our students, we were initially opposed to portions of the bill that mandated immediate adoption of these changes, putting schools and their already limited budgets at risk. Fortunately, changes were made that allowed for more time to comply and we switched to supporting the bill. UAFP Rank: GOOD Rep. Grant Miller and Dr. Brian Bertsche Sen. Nate Bluin and Dr. Elise Blaseg Rep. Grant Miller and Dr. Brandon Buffington 8
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTg3NDExNQ==