The House is advancing legislation that would give Georgia’s Insurance Commissioner significantly stronger tools to hold insurance companies accountable when they break consumer protection laws. House Bill 1262 would increase fines for violations of mental health parity requirements, surprise billing protections, and other insurance consumer protection laws from $2,000/$5,000 to $10,000/$25,000 per violation.
For large insurance companies, current fines of $2,000 or $5,000 per violation may be too small to deter misconduct. Stronger enforcement tools help ensure that insurance companies actually follow existing consumer protection laws, including mental health parity requirements under HB 1013.
This week at a glance:
HB 1262 is on the agenda for the House Health Insurance subcommittee tomorrow (Wed., 02/18).
HB 1002, which would move Georgia’s foster children from Medicaid managed care to a Fee-for-Service Medicaid model, and HB 1192, which would increase budgetary oversight of the Department of Community Health (DCH) and the Department of Human Services, are scheduled to be heard in the House Health Committee tomorrow (Wed., 02/18).
SB 428, which would allow DCH to apply for a Home and Community Based Services Medicaid waiver for Georgians suffering from severe mental illness, is on the agenda in Senate Health and Human Services tomorrow.
Status: Scheduled to be heard in the House Health Insurance Subcommittee tomorrow
GHF Position: Support
What HB 1262 does: Increases fines the Insurance Commissioner can impose on insurance companies that violate state law, from $2,000/$5,000 to $10,000/$25,000 per violation. Stronger penalties would apply to violations of mental health parity, surprise billing, and other consumer protection laws.
Consumer impact: Georgians benefit when insurance companies face real consequences for breaking consumer protection laws. Higher penalties motivate insurers to follow mental health parity and surprise billing rules.
What HB 1276 does: Creates new barriers for Georgians applying for or keeping Medicaid coverage. HB 1276 would prohibit self-reporting of income, require eligibility re-verification every 6 months instead of 12, and reduce retroactive Medicaid coverage from 3 months to 2 months. (These requirements mirror new eligibility determination requirements that were included in Congress’s H.R.1 and would tie Georgia’s hands if those new requirements were repealed–or simply adjusted– federally.)
Consumer impact: Eligible Georgians would face additional paperwork hurdles to obtain and maintain coverage. More frequent and strict verification requirements historically lead to children and adults losing coverage for administrative reasons, not because they are actually ineligible. The bill ignores lessons learned during the Medicaid unwinding, when Georgia saw thousands of improper Medicaid disenrollments due to paperwork barriers.
Status: Scheduled for “hearing only” in the House Human Relations and Aging Committee tomorrow
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.
Lead Sponsor: Rep. Taylor (R-173rd) and others (bipartisan)
Status: Scheduled to be heard in the House Health Committee tomorrow
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.
Status: Scheduled to be heard in the House Health Insurance Subcommittee tomorrow
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.
Status: Passed the House, referred to the Senate HHS Committee
GHF Position: Monitor
What HB 657 does: Codifies DBHDD’s existing peer support specialist certification system in state law, defines five categories of certified peer specialists, and establishes a statutory framework for recovery community organizations (RCOs). The bill would also authorize DBHDD to designate a single statewide RCO to coordinate the network.
Consumer impact: Peer support from people with lived experience helps people in recovery. HB 657 would formalize the system to protect the integrity of community-based peer programs.
Status: Scheduled to be heard in the House Health Committee tomorrow (previously heard in House Health on 2/2/26 without a vote)
GHF Position: Under Review
What HB 1002 does: Would move Medicaid coverage for foster children from managed care (Georgia Families 360°) to fee-for-service Medicaid when current contracts expire, with an automatic repeal in 2028.
Consumer impact: Foster children 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.
Status: Scheduled to be Heard in the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Tax today
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 provided through the Affordable Care Act; the specifics of each employer’s ICHRA matter a lot to the actual financial impact on their employees.
Status: Passed Senate Health and Human Services Committee (2/12/26)
GHF Position: Monitor
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 of hundreds or thousands of dollars, even with insurance. SB 462 would close that gap in Georgia’s surprise billing law.
Status: Scheduled to be heard today in the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee
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.
Status: Scheduled to be heard in the Senate HHS Committee tomorrow
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: Currently, Medicaid often only covers mental health care when someone reaches a crisis or needs institutional care. SB 428 would allow Medicaid to cover ongoing community-based support that helps people remain stable and avoid costly crisis situations.
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.
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.
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Each week during the legislative session, we’ll highlight legislative advocacy days hosted by our partner organizations. These events offer excellent opportunities to engage in lawmaking by meeting your legislators and advocating for critical health issues.
Please contact Anthony Hill at ahill@healthyfuturega.org if you have an advocacy event you’d like included in GHF’s legislative update.
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