The following bills did not pass: • HB245 Tobacco Amendments: After many years of proactive anti‑tobacco legislation, this one was a headscratcher. It would have allowed for telephone, mail or internet purchase of tobacco products. This would have opened up a whole new avenue for people, especially those underage, to purchase tobacco. Thankfully, it had resounding opposition and never made it out of Rules. UAFP Rank: VERY BAD • HB288 Healthcare Malpractice Amendments: Luckily, this one never gained any traction. This bill proposed to double the amount of time a patient could sue for malpractice — in some cases allowing as much as eight years to elapse. The burden on providers would have been immense. This would have been a gold mine for medical malpractice insurance, as most claims would have required settlement, and insurance costs would have increased. UAFP Rank: VERY BAD • HB400 Blood Transfusion Amendments: Referred to as the “bring your own blood” bill, this was one of the more unusual bills of the session. The first version of the bill was so broad that it literally would have allowed a patient to bring in a quart jar with their blood in it for the upcoming surgery. Fortunately, after much discussion with the sponsor, that was never the intent, and language was added to require adherence to all blood donation protocols, which meant the bill essentially was just affirming the right to autologous blood donation and donor blood donation. However, it took too long to get it right and it never made it across the finish line. UAFP Rank: NEUTRAL • SB320 Physician Practice Amendments: This one was discussed in the CEO’s Message —the physician right of conscience bill that we worked to defeat early. Too broad, too far afield from the ethical practice of medicine, this was a good one to leave behind. UAFP Rank: VERY BAD All in all, we had some wins and a few losses, but with other issues taking up the air in the room, health care survived to fight another day. A huge thank you to all our members who participated in the Legislative Advocacy calls and helped determine our positions. This would not be possible without your expertise and willingness to get involved. IF YOU’D LIKE TO SEE THE UAFP POSITIONS ON THE BILLS WE REVIEWED, SCAN THE QR CODE. https://utahafp.org/wp-content/ uploads/2025/04/2025-UAFP-Bill-Tracker.pdf Carrie Butler, executive director, UPHA; Rep. Jake Fitisemanu; and Maryann Martindale, CEO, UAFP Dr. Vickie Armstrong, Rep. Jen Dailey-Provost, medical student Braden Cunningham, and Rep. David Shallenberger Primary and Preventive Day on the Hill 9
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