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Why This Matters

Because this is the second year of a two-year legislative session, bills that didn’t meet this deadline are (mostly) done. They cannot be reconsidered this year. Sometimes, the language from a dead bill can be added to another bill that’s still alive, but if that doesn’t happen before Sine Die, lawmakers would need to start over and reintroduce the idea under a new bill number in a future session.

✅ HB 961: Ground Ambulance Surprise Billing Protections

Lead Sponsor: Rep. Powell (R-33rd) | Status: Passed the House; Assigned to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee | GHF Position: Monitor

What HB 961 does: Extends surprise out-of-network billing protections to emergency ground ambulance rides. Patients would pay no more than in-network rates for out-of-network ambulance services.

Consumer impact: Georgia’s current surprise billing law doesn’t cover ground ambulances, leaving patients vulnerable to unexpected bills of hundreds or thousands of dollars, even when they have insurance.

✅ HB 1192: State Agency Financial Accountability

Lead Sponsor: Rep. Taylor (R-173rd) and others (bipartisan) | Status: Passed the House; Assigned to the Senate Government and Oversight Committee | GHF Position: Monitor

What HB 1192 does: Requires the Department of Human Services and the Department of Community Health to keep funds designated for specific purposes in separate accounts and report annually to the legislature on cost savings and efficiency improvements.

Consumer impact: Greater transparency could help ensure that money designated for specific health programs actually goes to those purposes.

✅ HB 1238: Respite Care for Families of Youth with Behavioral Health Needs

Lead Sponsor: Rep. Dempsey (R-13th) | Status: Passed the House; Assigned to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee | GHF Position: Support

What HB 1238 does: Directs the state to seek federal approval for Medicaid to pay for respite care services for families caring for children under 21 with serious behavioral health conditions who are at risk of going into foster care.

Consumer impact: Families caring for children with significant behavioral health needs often reach a breaking point. Respite care gives families temporary relief while keeping kids in their homes and communities, rather than resorting to foster care or residential facilities. Respite care costs less than institutional placements and produces better outcomes for children.

✅ HB 1262: Increasing Insurance Violation Penalties

Lead Sponsor: Rep. Lumsden (R-12th) | Status: Passed the House; Assigned to the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee | GHF Position: Support

What HB 1262 does: Raises the maximum penalties the Commissioner of Insurance can impose on insurance companies for violations of mental health parity reporting requirements, general insurance law, and the Surprise Billing Consumer Protection Act. The bill increases the current per-violation standard from $2,000 to $10,000 and the knowing-violation standard from $5,000 to $25,000.

Consumer impact: Because all penalties remain discretionary, the bill’s real-world value depends entirely on whether Georgia’s Department of Insurance (DOI) chooses to use its expanded authority. DOI has expressed support for the bill, which suggests they want to hold insurers accountable when they violate the law.

Say thank you to Chairman Lumsden and Commissioner King for their support of this legislation!

✅ HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Oversight

Lead Sponsor: Rep. Reeves (R-99th) | Status: Passed the House; Assigned to the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee | GHF Position: Monitoring

What HB 1344 does: A wide-ranging insurance bill that strengthens DOI enforcement authority, insurance fraud penalties, and other areas specific to property and casualty insurance. The bill adds consumer protections for claims processing after disasters and increases penalties for violations by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The bill’s relevance to health insurance is relatively narrow, but the PBM enforcement and rate-review expansions have direct implications for Georgia health consumers.

✅ HB 1368: Community Service Board Governance Restructuring

Lead Sponsor: Rep. Cooper (R-45th) | Status: Passed the House; Assigned to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee | GHF Position: Under Review

What HB 1368 does: Restructures governance of Georgia’s community service boards (CSBs) by transferring the authority to appoint local executive directors from local governing boards to the DBHDD Commissioner. Executive directors would become DBHDD employees with expanded powers over hiring, firing, contracts, and daily operations. The Commissioner could authorize executive directors to bypass governing board decisions when a CSB does not meet performance standards. HB 1368 is the House companion to SB 535.

Consumer impact: CSBs deliver behavioral health and developmental disability services across Georgia. Centralizing executive director appointments under DBHDD could improve accountability and address underperformance, but removes a key mechanism for community input into local behavioral health priorities. Governing boards would lose meaningful authority, and the bill does not define the “performance standards” that trigger state override of local decisions. Consumers and families who participate in CSB governance through local board membership would see their influence reduced.

✅ HB 1393: Rural Hospital Authority Antitrust Immunity

Lead Sponsor: Rep. Werkheiser (R-157th) | Status: Passed out of the House; assigned to Senate HHS | GHF Position: Under Review

What HB 1393 does: HB 1393 would allow hospital authorities in small rural counties (under 50,000 population) to coordinate on pricing, insurance negotiations, staffing, and services without facing antitrust liability. Supporters say this could help struggling rural hospitals survive by pooling resources and negotiating better rates. However, the bill lacks oversight or transparency requirements and raises serious legal questions by attempting to preempt federal antitrust laws, which is an authority that has not been given to a state legislature before. The bill’s antitrust protections also extend beyond public hospital authorities to private entities that collaborate with them, meaning for-profit hospital systems or other commercial partners could use these arrangements to shield pricing and market conduct from legal accountability.

✅ SB 195: Over-the-Counter Access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)

Lead Sponsor: Sen. Hufstetler (52nd) | Status: Senate agreed to House’s changes; awaits Governor’s signature | GHF Position: Support

What SB 195 does: SB 195 would allow pharmacists in Georgia to dispense Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention without a prescription from a doctor. PrEP is a highly effective medication that reduces the risk of HIV transmission by up to 99% when taken as prescribed. However, barriers to accessing PrEP, such as requiring a doctor’s prescription, lack of insurance, or stigma, can prevent people at risk from getting preventive treatment. Expanding access through pharmacies allows individuals to obtain PrEP more quickly and conveniently, particularly in areas with limited health care providers. The bill establishes guidelines for pharmacists to provide PrEP under a statewide protocol, ensuring greater accessibility to the medication.

✅ SB 427: Pathway for Internationally Trained Physicians

Lead Sponsor: Sen. Watson (R-1st) | Status: Passed the Senate; Assigned to the House Health Committee – scheduled for committee hearing today, March 9th | GHF Position: Support

What SB 427 does: Creates a pathway for qualified physicians trained outside the U.S. to practice in Georgia. Eligible physicians would receive provisional licenses, would work under a fully licensed provider for a specific time period, and must work in underserved areas for 2-4 years to qualify for full licensure.

Consumer impact: Georgia faces significant physician shortages, especially in rural areas. SB 427 would help address workforce gaps by allowing qualified international physicians to practice while meeting supervision and practice requirements.

✅ SB 428: Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services for Mental Health

Lead Sponsor: Sen. Kirkpatrick (R-32nd) | Status: Passed the Senate; Assigned to the House Health Committee – scheduled for committee hearing today, March 9th | GHF Position: Support

What SB 428 does: Directs the state to seek federal approval by December 31, 2026, for a Medicaid waiver that would pay for home and community-based mental health services for adults over 21 who need ongoing support but don’t need institutional care. Eligibility would be based on risk factors like hospitalization history, psychiatric crises, emergency visits, prior incarceration, or homelessness.

Consumer impact: SB 428 would allow Medicaid to cover ongoing community-based support that helps people remain stable and avoid costly crisis situations.

✅ SB 462: Protecting Consumers from Surprise Ambulance Bills

Lead Sponsor: Sen. Still (R-48th) and others | Status: Passed the Senate; Assigned to the House Health Committee | GHF Position: Support

What SB 462 does: Extends Georgia’s surprise billing protections to emergency ground ambulance transportation. SB 462 would cap what patients pay for out-of-network ambulance rides at the same amount they’d pay for in-network rides, and prohibit ambulance companies from billing patients for the rest. The bill sets a minimum payment rate for ambulance companies at the locally negotiated rate, or, if none exists, at the lesser of 325% of Medicare rates or the billed charges.

Consumer impact: Georgians currently face unexpected ambulance bills ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars, even with insurance. SB 462 would close that gap in Georgia’s surprise billing law.

✅ SB 500: Health Care Workforce Database Expansion

Lead Sponsor: Sen. Hodges (R-3rd) | Status: Passed the Senate; Assigned to the House Public and Community Health Committee | GHF Position: Under Review

What SB 500 does: Expands the existing Behavioral Health Care Workforce Database to cover all licensed health care professionals in Georgia and renames it the Health Care Workforce Database. The bill broadens the set of licensing boards required to participate in data collection without appropriating new funds or setting implementation deadlines.

✅ SB 535: Community Service Board Governance Restructuring

Lead Sponsor: Sen. Kirkpatrick (R-32nd) and others | Status: Passed the Senate; Assigned to the House Public and Community Health Committee | GHF Position: Monitoring

What SB 535 does: Restructures governance of Georgia’s community service boards (CSBs) by transferring executive director appointment authority from local governing boards to the DBHDD Commissioner. Executive directors would become DBHDD employees. The Commissioner could direct executive directors to override governing board decisions when a CSB fails to meet performance standards. CSB conversions to nonprofit or other structures require Commissioner approval, and cessation of operations requires Governor approval. SB 535 is the Senate companion to HB 1368.

Consumer impact: CSBs are the primary delivery system for community-based behavioral health and developmental disability services in Georgia. Centralizing executive director appointments under DBHDD could improve statewide accountability and help address underperforming CSBs, but removes local community input from leadership decisions. The bill does not define the “performance standards” that would trigger a state override of local governing board authority, leaving significant discretion to DBHDD. Consumers and families who participate in CSB governance would see their influence reduced under the new structure.

❌ HB 733: Georgia Insurance Consumer and Policyholder Advocacy Act

Lead Sponsor: Rep. Miller (D-62nd) | Status: Passed out of committee; never scheduled in Rules | GHF Position: Monitoring

What HB 733 does: Creates a new insurance consumer and policyholder advocate position within the Georgia Department of Insurance and tightens rate-review rules by replacing the file-and-use system for auto insurance with a prior-approval process. Rate increase filings would be posted publicly within 10 days of submission, and any increase of 10% or more within 12 months would trigger a mandatory DOI examination.

Consumer impact: HB 733 does not explicitly apply to health insurance, which is a significant gap for Georgia consumers.

❌ HB 1002: Medicaid Coverage for Children in Foster Care

Lead Sponsor: Rep. Camp (R-135th) | Status: Passed out of committee; never scheduled in Rules | GHF Position: Monitoring

What HB 1002 does: Would move Medicaid coverage for children in foster care from managed care (Georgia Families 360°) to fee-for-service Medicaid when current contracts expire, with an automatic repeal in 2028.

Consumer impact: Children in foster care have complex health care needs related to trauma. Some advocates believe direct access to any Medicaid provider (fee-for-service) would better serve these children than managed care’s more limited networks. However, managed care currently provides care coordination services that fee-for-service does not, which could lead to fragmented care. HB 1002 doesn’t address how to maintain care coordination during the transition.

❌ HB 1110: Small Business Health Insurance Tax Credit

Lead Sponsor: Rep. Hilton (R-48th) | Status: Passed out of committee; never scheduled in Rules | GHF Position: Monitor

What HB 1110 does: Creates a state tax credit for small employers (10 or fewer employees) that contribute at least $100 per month toward employees’ individual health insurance through an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA).

Consumer impact: Many small businesses want to help workers with health coverage, but can’t afford traditional group plans. ICHRAs let employers contribute to employees’ individual health insurance costs. HB 1110 would make that approach more affordable for the smallest businesses. ICHRAs can negate and/or complicate an employee’s eligibility for financial assistance under the Affordable Care Act; the specifics of each employer’s ICHRA matter a lot to the actual financial impact on employees.

❌ HB 1236: Strengthening Utilization Review for Medical Necessity

Lead Sponsor: Rep. Kelley (R-16th) | Status: Passed out of committee; never scheduled in Rules | GHF Position: Monitoring

What HB 1236 does: Requires that when an insurer denies coverage based on medical necessity, a Georgia-licensed clinical peer with training in a related specialty must affirmatively agree to the denial. Current law allows insurers to deny care after a discussion with a clinical peer; HB 1236 requires the clinical peer to sign off on the decision. The bill also requires reviewers to attempt to contact the treating provider before issuing a denial.

Consumer impact: Georgians whose insurance companies deny coverage for medical treatment would gain a stronger safeguard. Requiring a Georgia-licensed specialist to agree to the denial, rather than simply participate in a discussion, could be a meaningful check on insurer decisions. Patients and providers would also receive clearer explanations for denials, supporting more effective appeals.

❌ HB 1276: Medicaid Eligibility Verification Requirements

Lead Sponsor: Rep. Newton (R-127th) | Status: Passed out of committee; scheduled for floor debate on 03/04; withdrawn and recommitted to Rules on 03/04; amended in Rules and scheduled for floor debate on 03/06, but no vote taken on House floor | GHF Position: Oppose

What HB 1276 does: Prohibits Medicaid applicants and recipients from using self-attestation to verify income, residency, or identity and requires ongoing cross-checks of enrollees against multiple state and federal data sources. It also reduces retroactive Medicaid coverage from three months to two months, a change that likely requires federal CMS approval Georgia may not receive. If enacted as written, the bill risks erroneous disenrollments similar to the post-pandemic Medicaid unwinding and could expose Georgia to significant federal compliance liability.

❌ HB 1299: Rural Hospital Joint Venture Outpatient Facilities

Lead Sponsor: Rep. Jasperse (R-11th) | Status: Passed out of committee; never scheduled in Rules | GHF Position: Monitor

What HB 1299 does: Allows hospital authorities in rural counties (under 50,000 population) to jointly own outpatient healthcare facilities with a single group of specialty physicians. The hospital authority must own at least 51% of the facility.

Consumer impact: Could expand access to outpatient specialty care in rural communities where patients currently travel long distances. However, the bill does not require joint ventures to serve uninsured or Medicaid patients, and physician-hospital joint ventures raise questions about whether financial incentives align with community health needs.

❌ HB 1332: Georgia Buy American Medicine Act

Lead Sponsor: Rep. Clark (R-100th) | Status: Passed out of committee; never scheduled in Rules | GHF Position: Under Review

What HB 1332 does: Requires hospitals and healthcare facilities receiving state funds to prefer American-manufactured pharmaceuticals. Exceptions apply when domestic drugs are unavailable, would jeopardize patient safety, are needed during emergencies, or cost more than 20% higher. DCH enforces the law, and noncompliance can result in loss of state funding eligibility.

Consumer impact: While the bill aims to strengthen domestic drug supply chains, requiring a domestic sourcing preference could increase pharmaceutical costs for hospitals, particularly safety-net and rural hospitals that rely heavily on state funds and often use lower-cost generic medications manufactured overseas. Cost increases could be passed through to patients.

❌ HB 1354: Insurer Credentialing Reform Act

Lead Sponsor: Rep. Kelley (R-16th) | Status: Passed out of committee; scheduled for floor debate on 3/6, but no vote taken on House floor | GHF Position: Monitoring

What HB 1354 does: Sets a 45-day deadline for commercial health insurers to complete credentialing of a provider after receiving a complete application and directs the Department of Insurance to create a standardized credentialing form aligned with Georgia Medicaid’s existing credentialing system. Slow and inconsistent credentialing is a major bottleneck to network adequacy, particularly for behavioral health providers, and the 45-day timeline matches Georgia’s own Medicaid standard. The bill currently lacks enforcement mechanisms and provisional credentialing provisions, which limit its real-world impact.

❌ SB 364: Penalties for Insurance Rate Manipulation

Lead Sponsor: Sen. Hatchett (R-50th) | Status: Heard in the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee, but no vote was taken | GHF Position: Support

What SB 364 does: Creates new penalties for insurance companies that intentionally provide false or misleading information to state regulators to get higher premiums approved. The Commissioner could order violators to pay up to 10 times the amount they owe in refunds to policyholders.

Consumer impact: SB 364 creates a significant financial deterrent against insurance companies manipulating the rate-setting process. Combined with HB 1262’s general penalty increases, SB 364 would give regulators stronger tools to protect consumers from inflated premiums.

❌ SB 460: Transfer Medicaid Eligibility to DCH

Lead Sponsor: Sen. Tillery (R-19th) | Status: First read in Senate; never scheduled for committee hearing | GHF Position: Monitoring

What SB 460 does: Would transfer Medicaid eligibility determination from the Department of Human Services to the Department of Community Health. Currently, DHS and DCH share responsibility for Medicaid enrollment.

Consumer impact: The bill’s focus on fraud prevention through aggressive data matching and verification requirements could create barriers for eligible Georgians, particularly if data discrepancies produce false positives that result in coverage loss for Medicaid members. Implementation is further uncertain because the transfer requires federal approval, relies on a Gateway eligibility system that has experienced technical challenges, and grants DCH broad discretion over reevaluation frequency.

❌ SB 461: Transfer Medicaid Program to DHS

Lead Sponsor: Sen. Tillery (R-19th) | Status: First read in Senate; never scheduled for committee hearing | GHF Position: Monitoring

What SB 461 does: Takes the opposite approach from SB 460, proposing to make DHS the single agency responsible for Medicaid administration. SB 460 and SB 461 represent competing visions for how Georgia should organize its Medicaid program.

Consumer impact: Moving Medicaid to DHS would separate coverage policy from health care delivery expertise, requiring DHS to build new capacity in complex areas such as care management contracts, provider reimbursement, and quality oversight, where the agency lacks deep experience. The transition faces uncertain federal approval timelines and significant implementation risks, as Medicaid has grown substantially more complex since Georgia last housed the program within DHS.