April 16, 2026
No. 14
KILLING TIME
The Senate took the day off from floor work on Tuesday to allow the Appropriations Committee to act on the budget. They made up for that lost floor time on Wednesday by working all day to give initial approval to several Senate bills. After working all day, they worked into the night until nearly dawn to debate and approve the income tax repeal ballot initiative in HJR 173. Pretty fitting action for Tax Day! In addition to budget and floor work, Senate committee hearings were brimming with House bills. The House spent the week approving more bills. They don’t have a bunch of Senate bills to work on just yet. Time will tell if that changes.
NORMALIZING HALLUCINOGENS
On Tuesday morning, the Senate Professional Registration Committee heard testimony on a bill that would expose veterans to dangerous drugs. House Bill 1717 attempts to create broad legal allowances for psilocybin and ibogaine use outside of the established FDA approval process, creating parallel systems of drug access and “facilitator-run” therapy that bypasses physician oversight, clinical safeguards, and the medical standards Missouri patients deserve. Furthermore, the bill would send millions of Missouri tax dollars to Texas for ibogaine research. Considering the tough budget times Missouri is facing, it probably isn’t the wisest to send revenue out of state, especially for drug use. Vulnerable patients deserve real treatment, not exposure to hallucinogens without medical evaluation, monitoring, or follow-up. We are the only folks standing up against this dangerous bill. We believe that by normalizing hallucinogen use outside of established treatment pathways, the bill undermines evidence-based mental health care and exposes vulnerable patients to unregulated, high-risk practices. It should not be acceptable to experiment with veterans. We are the only ones fighting to protect patient safety, uphold clinical integrity, and ensure Missouri’s mental health system remains grounded in physician-led, evidence-based care.
MAKING SMART CHOICES – FOOD IS MEDICINE
We are increasingly concerned by significant changes made to HB 2355 as it left the House. This bill establishes a MO HealthNet “Food is Medicine” waiver program directing the Department of Social Services to seek a Section 1115 waiver from the federal government to cover nutrition supports for patients with diet-related chronic disease. The bill authorizes MO HealthNet to fund medically tailored meals, prescriptions for produce, and related nutrition services as a strategy to reduce poor health outcomes and those costs.
The concept of expanding access to fresh produce, medically tailored meals, and nutrition counseling for patients with diet-related chronic disease sounds appealing. However, the current version sidelines physicians and shifts prescriptive authority to registered dietitians (RDs) and an undefined “clinical team.” As written, the bill allows RDs to independently “prescribe” nutrition services and unregulated, unproven supplements. We believe it creates a parallel treatment pathway without physician collaboration, medical oversight, or safeguards against interactions between medications and supplements. We warned the committee that this new structure could increase costs by requiring multiple visits, delaying care, and creating bottlenecks in RD availability. Additionally, expanding waiver funds to cover supplements diverts resources away from the core purpose of Food is Medicine: getting patients real, whole, nutrient-dense food. Patients with proven nutritional deficiencies already have access to prescriptions covered by insurance. The bill’s current language risks narrowing its impact, undermining physician-led chronic disease management, and shifting funds toward unregulated supplement markets rather than evidence-based nutrition interventions. We were thankful to have our President, Katie Davenport-Kabonic, DO, weigh in as an expert on this bill on behalf of patients!
WORKERS’ COMP FEE SCHEDULE
On Tuesday, the Senate General Laws Committee advanced a workers’ compensation bill that favors insurance companies over patients and physicians. House Bill 2375 would replace the current reasonable and fair fee structure with one set by the insurance department. We opposed this change in committee and will continue to oppose it if it advances to the floor for discussion.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE NEARING: ARE YOU REGISTERED?
There is still time to register for the Missouri Osteopathic Annual Conference on April 24-25th! Join us at Old Kinderhook Lodge in Camdenton for an evening and day of CME, networking, and fun! We are expecting over thirty students to join us, each looking for networking and mentorship opportunities. Help support the future of the profession with your attendance!