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2023 SESSION
SB 1261 Health insurance; electronic prior authorization and disclosure of certain information.
Introduced by: Siobhan S. Dunnavant | all patrons ... notes | add to my profiles
SUMMARY AS PASSED: (all summaries)
Health insurance; electronic prior authorization and disclosure of certain information; out-of-pocket costs; report. Requires each health insurance carrier, beginning July 1, 2025, to establish and maintain an online process that (i) links directly to all e-prescribing systems and electronic health record systems that utilize the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs SCRIPT standard and the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs Real Time Benefit Standard; (ii) can accept electronic prior authorization requests from a provider; (iii) can approve electronic prior authorization requests (a) for which no additional information is needed by the carrier to process the prior authorization request, (b) for which no clinical review is required, and (c) that meet the carrier's criteria for approval; (iv) links directly to real-time patient out-of-pocket costs for the office visit; and (v) otherwise meets the requirements for contracts between carriers and participating health care providers. The bill prohibits a carrier from (a) imposing a fee or charge on any person for accessing the required online process who is required to do so or (b) accessing, absent provider consent, provider data via the online process other than for the enrollee. The bill also requires carriers, no later than July 1, 2024, to provide contact information of any third-party vendor or other entity the carrier will use to meet the requirements of the bill to any provider that requests such information. The carrier may post such information on its website to meet such requirement.
The bill requires participating health care providers, beginning July 1, 2025, to ensure that any e-prescribing system or electronic health record system owned by or contracted for the provider to maintain an enrollee's health record has the ability to access, at the point of prescribing, the electronic prior authorization process established by a carrier and real-time patient-specific benefit information, including out-of-pocket costs and more affordable medication alternatives made available by a carrier. The bill provides that a provider may request a waiver of compliance for undue hardship for a period not to exceed 12 months. The bill requires any carrier or its pharmacy benefits manager to provide real-time patient-specific information to enrollees and contracted providers for the office visit, including any out-of-pocket costs and more affordable medication alternatives or prior authorization requirements, and to ensure that the data is accurate. The bill requires that such cost information data be available to the provider at the point of prescribing in an accessible and understandable format, such as through the provider's e-prescribing system or electronic health record system that the carrier or pharmacy benefits manager or its designated subcontractor has adopted that utilizes the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs SCRIPT standard and the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs Real Time Benefit Standard from which the provider makes the request.
The bill requires the State Corporation Commission's Bureau of Insurance to, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, establish a work group to assess implementation and develop recommendations for electronic prior authorization and real-time cost benefit information for prescription drugs, to evaluate and make recommendations to establish a process for electronic prior authorization for surgery and other procedures, and to evaluate and make recommendations to establish an online process for a real-time link at the point of prescribing for any available prescription coupons. The work group shall report its findings and recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committees on Commerce and Labor and Education and Health and the House Committees on Commerce and Energy and Health, Welfare and Institutions annually by November 1 and shall make its final report by November 1, 2025. This bill is identical to HB 1471.
FULL TEXT
- 01/10/23 Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/23 23103745D pdf | impact statement
- 01/31/23 Senate: Committee substitute printed 23105922D-S1 pdf | impact statement
- 02/23/23 Senate: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB1261ER) pdf | impact statement
- 03/24/23 Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0475) pdf
AMENDMENTS
- Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
- House amendments adopted
- House amendments engrossed
- Senate amendments
- Senate amendments not adopted
HISTORY
- 01/10/23 Senate: Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/11/23 23103745D
- 01/10/23 Senate: Referred to Committee on Commerce and Labor
- 01/23/23 Senate: Reported from Commerce and Labor with amendments (14-Y 0-N)
- 01/23/23 Senate: Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations
- 01/31/23 Senate: Reported from Finance and Appropriations with substitute (15-Y 0-N)
- 01/31/23 Senate: Committee substitute printed 23105922D-S1
- 02/01/23 Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- 02/02/23 Senate: Read second time
- 02/02/23 Senate: Commerce and Labor Committee amendments rejected
- 02/02/23 Senate: Reading of substitute waived
- 02/02/23 Senate: Committee substitute agreed to 23105922D-S1
- 02/02/23 Senate: Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB1261S1
- 02/02/23 Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
- 02/02/23 Senate: Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N)
- 02/10/23 House: Placed on Calendar
- 02/10/23 House: Read first time
- 02/10/23 House: Referred to Committee on Commerce and Energy
- 02/14/23 House: Reported from Commerce and Energy with amendment(s) (21-Y 0-N)
- 02/16/23 House: Read second time
- 02/17/23 House: Read third time
- 02/17/23 House: Committee amendment agreed to
- 02/17/23 House: Engrossed by House as amended
- 02/17/23 House: Passed House with amendment BLOCK VOTE (99-Y 0-N)
- 02/17/23 House: VOTE: Block Vote Passage (99-Y 0-N)
- 02/20/23 Senate: House amendment agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N)
- 02/23/23 Senate: Enrolled
- 02/23/23 Senate: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB1261ER)
- 02/23/23 House: Signed by Speaker
- 02/25/23 Senate: Signed by President
- 03/02/23 Senate: Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 2, 2023
- 03/02/23 Governor: Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 27, 2023
- 03/24/23 Governor: Approved by Governor-Chapter 475 (effective 7/1/23)
- 03/24/23 Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0475)