Resolutions adopted Sept. 30 by the House of Delegates identify legislation for ISMA to pursue in the 2019 General Assembly and to pursue on the federal level by introduction to the AMA for adoption. Others reaffirm expiring policies, seek to make ISMA more sustainable and support greater participation by Medical Student Society members.

Among resolutions directing ISMA to seek legislation, Resolution 18-38 builds on prior authorization (PA) relief passed in the 2017 session. It directs ISMA to support or seek legislation establishing parameters for Medicaid and Medicaid managed care plans and Medicare Advantage plans. Resolution 18-01 seeks to require insurance providers to provide a list of covered alternatives when denying coverage for any medication, and Resolution 18-02 supports requiring insurers to cover weight-loss management regardless of co-morbid conditions. Other resolutions direct ISMA to seek legislation to: place bleeding control kits in every Indiana school and train people to use them (18-11); require autopsies and reporting in all trauma deaths (18-30); seek state funding for the Indiana Donor Network (18-29); implement breastfeeding education and remove tax from breastfeeding items (18-59); and support a tax increase on all non-medical nicotine products. Resolution 18-51 supports mental health training programs for corrections officers and crisis intervention teams for law enforcement.

Other resolutions advocate for state laws concerning medical practice and non-physician medical professionals. Among those, Resolution 18-31 seeks to define tasks an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) could perform under a physician collaboration agreement, and Resolution 18-16 seeks to limit the number of APRNs working under one physician at any time to four. Resolution 18-12 advocates for invalidating all physician non-compete agreements.

Requests ISMA was asked to bring to the AMA include: creation of a Physician and Medical Student Suicide Prevention Committee (18-61); objecting to separation of undocumented immigrant children from their parents or guardians and giving them psychotropic drugs (18-56); and lobbying for more federal funding for medical residency spots (18-47).

Several adopted resolutions address ISMA governance and administration. Resolution 18-25 increases the number of Medical Student Society members on the House of Delegates from four to eight delegates and from four to eight alternate delegates. Resolution 18-27 directs ISMA to provide two stipends instead of one to AMA Region V student delegates or alternate delegates attending the AMA Annual Meeting and the AMA Interim Meeting. Resolution 18-23 allows a district trustee to fill any House of Delegates seats still open after all county delegates have registered by appointing members from any county in the district to fill them.

To read all 2018 resolutions and the action taken by the House of Delegates, visit www.ismanet.org/2018actions.