[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6283258,"mediaKeyId","2589188-dacc4d5eda4aefffa762e8c161145ec9","parentId",2589188,"title","Committee clears multiple insurance, consumer-protection and health bills in one session","audioSeconds",3162,"startMs",61000,"endMs",3223000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2589188-dacc4d5eda4aefffa762e8c161145ec9&start=61&end=3223","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2589188-dacc4d5eda4aefffa762e8c161145ec9/thumbnail_61000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6283258/Arkansas/Committee-clears-multiple-insurance-consumer-protection-and-health-bills-in-one-session","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6283258-eabe2b3e0c58ef632a4fc32b2d44ecc3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771163614&Signature=hKc~Gr2PPpPjkH~v-3lBYn-jLJTokTrcPnIYZ8k4M-9dYDTU~os02v9kFWVla2roUFF6DFXqX64RIJk0t4IYor29ptx67BjY-9NiElRHC0hjeB1mbos7hhpJf1VfVKHTr-aqsH~fqb0~EeFYbnv-gObPC4Fy~qkYKHulu8Za97jvDCGw769885wqswixw5dfWgfcvVDc-XjBFzT9ZH7KelQV38q38gNYxv0Gn6UUQA6mNxwhkqB7a67zGSpR-eZ6P8b5qUULlNNM7k-Ipe7w9ls3FJQXUwMggxEp9kdNgqzAHfAS7HLCBZPF2tIEb053-LsFvahxQgQ2e1gjsuDPCg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Arkansas Legislature","date","2025-03-12T00:00:00Z","article","The House Insurance & Commerce Committee cleared a group of bills on Tuesday by voice vote, advancing a mix of concurrences, consumer-protection updates and health-related measures. Committee members used a fast-moving schedule to consider numerous items; most passed after brief sponsor remarks and without public opposition.

Votes at a glance (committee action):

- Concurrence on Senate amendment to HB 1230: Representative Frank Kavanaugh introduced the concurrence on an amendment to HB 1230 related to attorney-fee award rules; the committee approved the concurrence by voice vote.

- House Bill 1288 (credentialing retroactivity): Sponsor said the bill moves providers's effective enrollment dates back to credentialing completion to avoid retroactive nonpayment; committee approved by voice vote.

- House Bill 1301 (Go Card / Gold Card adjustments): Sponsor described clarifications to the existing gold-card process, moving certain retrospective provisions to a prospective approach and defining \"gold card\"; committee adopted a negotiated amendment and voted the bill out.

- House Bill 1316 (lung cancer screening mandate): Sponsor said the bill expands access to lung cancer screening, particularly in rural areas; the committee approved the measure by voice vote.

- House Bill 1700 (provider privacy protection): The measure restricts automatic release of the identity of a clinician who denies a prior authorization request; the sponsor said relevant information remains available through the ordering provider. Committee approved.

- Self-storage modernization bill (sponsor Representative Dwight Tosh): Updates rental agreement standards, allows electronic lease execution and expands methods for facility owners to attempt to locate lienholders before removing property. Committee approved by voice vote.

- Senate Bill 276 (surplus lines clarifying language): Sponsor said the bill makes a small clarification regarding surplus lines placement; committee approved.

- Payment-processing and privacy bills (Senate bills 240 and 242, presented by Representative Howard Beatty): SB240 removes the Social Security number requirement from adverse-action notices under the state consumer reporting law; SB242 restricts payment-card networks from requiring merchant codes that single out firearm retailers and limits certain data-collection and registry practices. Committee approved both measures.

- Bank-stock loan technical amendment (Senate bill 2 42): Clarifies treatment of loans secured by an acquired bank's stock following an acquisition; committee approved.

Committee procedure: Nearly all listed items were advanced on motions to pass or concur as presented by sponsors; votes were taken by voice vote with the chair declaring passage. Several sponsors emphasized that the bills were negotiated with affected industry groups and regulators, and committee members who asked questions were typically answered by sponsors or available agency representatives.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Insurance and Commerce Committee Mar 12, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Insurance & Commerce Committee advanced a package of largely noncontroversial bills by voice votes, including concurrences, consumer-protection and healthcare measures. Items ranged from credentialing retroactivity to storage-facility modernizations and merchant-code protections for firearms retailers.","taxTitle","INSURANCE & COMMERCE- HOUSE, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas","taxId",21106,"location","Arkansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6283261,"Committee raises PBM licensure fee to support enforcement, sponsors say funds will go to AID",278,221000,499000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2589188-dacc4d5eda4aefffa762e8c161145ec9&start=221&end=499","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2589188-dacc4d5eda4aefffa762e8c161145ec9/thumbnail_221000.jpg","/articles/6283261/Arkansas/Committee-raises-PBM-licensure-fee-to-support-enforcement-sponsors-say-funds-will-go-to-AID","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6283261-0c309d3f01d5042cccdfbadeaff79a98/orig.mp4?Expires=1771163614&Signature=IiDloI7N29YWSAuAwT4iyUKDWMLPOYM0YIf1TMPr~rWlbnVt1L1O-LUT7ensELBR7i4u6iTP3b~1qMHBbTad2OBWe-XbMrOsUozDQmIV~lOEaoqm~K-X5GlMNWz52yAsFIMhX1fWy3rMtlWhG1W2BzbHl5decNGB4NDbU9za9qyT4qzDKTmROzosvY3KKV4zx~go6cNs9o67DMxccfsZZsIjOXh4dKl1EwWnuXnbJQwsUsYKXaCGC4VVw9Go3ohRQMilHp91aMpI2vndXReX0ZpNm8cFhUFIrPweIWHdnQpz~8VbxpC0HIwsfByWSD4s~KLd-QY0KSbatzeQ1rf2Dw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Insurance & Commerce Committee passed legislation to raise the state licensure fee for pharmacy benefit managers and add data-reporting requirements intended to improve regulator oversight.

Representative Lee Johnson presented the amendment and bill, citing the 2017 PBM licensure act as the original framework. \"We're increasing the fee to $20,000 as an initial fee and $20,000 as a renewal,\" Johnson said, adding the fee would be collected as special revenue and directed to AID to pay for enforcement work tied to PBMs.

Johnson said the PBM market has grown and become more complex since the original law; the amendment also adds transparency language focused on BIN (bank identification numbers) that Johnson said helps regulators and AID \"to understand better how they're structured so that, again, from an enforcement standpoint, they'll have better ways to identify and know exactly who is or is not responsible for different actions in the market.\"

On questions from the committee, Representative Woodin asked what ownership information PBMs must disclose when applying for a license. Johnson said he was \"not changing anything around the original act\" on ownership disclosure and that he would refer to the original statute for those requirements. Representative Richardson asked how the $20,000 figure was chosen; Johnson said it was a negotiated starting point after informal discussions with PBM stakeholders, pharmacists and AID and that the fee would generate about $800,000 annually at an estimated 47 PBMs.

There were no public opponents at the committee hearing. Representative Johnson moved adoption of the amendment and later moved the committee's motion to pass as amended; the committee approved the bill by voice vote and the chair declared it passed.","Representative Lee Johnson's bill to increase pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) licensure fees to $20,000 for initial and renewal licenses passed the committee. Sponsor said revenues would fund enforcement at AID and add transparency requirements tied to BIN numbers.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":46,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6283266,"Committee passes bill expanding bariatric surgery coverage for commercial plans; injectables excluded",2147,1076000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2589188-dacc4d5eda4aefffa762e8c161145ec9&start=1076&end=3223","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2589188-dacc4d5eda4aefffa762e8c161145ec9/thumbnail_1076000.jpg","/articles/6283266/Arkansas/Committee-passes-bill-expanding-bariatric-surgery-coverage-for-commercial-plans-injectables-excluded","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6283266-ff3daa3baadbd9df7ba87e89fd465887/orig.mp4?Expires=1771163614&Signature=Dl9A~wBYT3CHEJuGK1AaNevRWihGPrr7Suj94ZcdQTomow6VPRTqurtBs0q6SoPaZ3k06FK-EYmz9d7DjbHoCgbBAGRL888KCXGsUx82GxySMEAvRZdQA~WK1nuss0rdI8UW86Cmh4SXkRJ1SQbFS1SLGetgATA7cKGx3KScyv-dK2OHcVbrm85fKfY~QgYrU7InKpdnHaADAINqS9JzM46pO8aMEFfiBQoTuN~Cv7kurOos~3VAM0~lURfc~13mhcAcVeNMCM9MEXuHDOHEKf8OVPP8NshyJ1j98k6diyTUd~LPAUT3GEVvpvQTh7gvW~8-02LNKt~p1KDZLJqTWw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Arkansas House Insurance & Commerce Committee voted to pass House Bill 1424 on Tuesday, a measure that would require commercial health plans to cover bariatric surgery for qualifying patients under defined clinical criteria.

Representative Lee Johnson, sponsor of the bill, introduced the measure and brought bariatric surgeons to testify, including Dr. Sam Bledsoe of Arkansas Heart Hospital and Dr. Eric Paul of Baptist Health Medical Center's bariatric surgery program. Dr. Bledsoe said the bill would expand coverage \"to virtually every Arkansan\" who meets clinical criteria and estimated the eligible population at roughly 250,000 to 500,000 people, with an expectation that about 1'2 percent of eligible people would seek surgery.

Dr. Bledsoe cited prior state analysis and said Act 109 (2022) supports the bill's rationale. \"Act 109 says this, quote, payers can rely on bariatric surgery paying for itself through decreased comorbidities within 2 to 4 years,\" he told the committee, and he referenced Arkansas Employee Benefits Division (EBD) data that showed a 45% reduction in medical cost per member per month for participants in an earlier program.

Insurer witnesses, including David Mans, senior vice president for policy at Arkansas Blue Cross, and Dr. Mark Jansen, its chief medical officer, told the committee they had been negotiating language with the sponsor and were not formally opposing the bill. Mans said the carrier is still studying the fiscal impact and balancing short-term costs against possible long-term savings. Jansen emphasized clinical selection and program quality, noting Blue Cross has covered bariatric surgery in commercial plans since 1998 and that outcomes depend on selecting appropriate patients and providing comprehensive pre- and post-operative support.

Committee members sought details on fiscal impacts and Medicaid coverage. Deputy DHS Secretary Janet Mann told the panel that the Arkansas Medicaid program already covers bariatric surgery under its current clinical criteria and that the bill's language was intended not to change Medicaid practice. Sponsors and witnesses said the measure is focused on commercial payers, and that a separate bill or process would be needed to extend coverage of obesity-related injectable medications.

Representative Johnson closed and moved the bill. The committee approved HB 1424 by voice vote; the chair declared the motion passed. Sponsors said they will continue to work with payers and stakeholders on implementation details as the measure moves forward.","The committee approved House Bill 1424 to require commercial insurers to cover bariatric surgery under specified criteria. Testimony emphasized long-term cost savings, while insurers warned of short-term premium impacts. The bill does not require commercial plans to cover newer weight-loss injectables and does not expand Medicaid coverage.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6283270,"House committee approves Prior Authorization Transparency bill, adds enforcement fund",222,617000,839000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2589188-dacc4d5eda4aefffa762e8c161145ec9&start=617&end=839","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2589188-dacc4d5eda4aefffa762e8c161145ec9/thumbnail_617000.jpg","/articles/6283270/Arkansas/House-committee-approves-Prior-Authorization-Transparency-bill-adds-enforcement-fund","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6283270-27a89ba90733ef4d200104e914ec807d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771163614&Signature=PWSpJ86CxTnVMIt8LLsnLUWyQ9iq9hyqRwA09CW0jAgwRrvNy7pVTb9px9oUppMuJRHudX8Q0z2ABesU3RbxR6UBKJogzhMkG9V0wKpkiDZv6ldcEI1sPLs8jaWGqasLzQ1-DnrBr7P5AgNsBD4YuAGpccXvcUIP6Wsgk82-dEDwmcKrdDGOvOojvFKtKO0UXrtfssGiKGfsHroV7jMaUwY9DxFpSpbsOPZvzMxxlGbicNgUfDw0zIjXqqarnNnmwOlhSMEIuTzzFJmjfcKSPFyiYnCFxH2Z22S86Gn4c~X5WijJXzmUX1j3tKQhbETDE7pjiepSMxJBN4gNN27iww__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Arkansas House Insurance & Commerce Committee on Tuesday voted to pass House Bill 1300, the Prior Authorization Transparency Act as amended, sending the bill to the full House.

The bill clarifies which administrative processes count as “prior authorization,” creates a prior-authorization transparency fund to pay for enforcement, and authorizes civil fines that will feed that fund. Representative Lee Johnson, sponsor of the amended bill, told the committee the fund is intended to “allow AID to have a funding source for some of the enforcement around these issues.”

Johnson said the measure also standardizes terminology. “We’re clarifying the definition of prior authorization,” he told the committee, pointing to a list of terms on page 3 the amendment treats as synonyms for prior authorization, including pre-admission review, pre-treatment review and pre-certification. Johnson said the bill is the product of extended negotiation with both payers and providers and that he will continue to work on it in the Senate if more amendments are needed.

When Representative Eaves asked how the new fund would be financed, Johnson replied, “It’d be funded through fines as related to prior authorization.” He and other supporters indicated that payers had resisted fines in negotiations but accepted penalties as a component of enforcement.

Committee members asked for more detail about expected revenue; Johnson said AID would be better positioned to estimate likely fine amounts. Representative Lanstrom asked for the “three big points” of the bill; Johnson summarized them as (1) creating a fund to pay for enforcement, (2) clarifying the statutory definition of prior authorization, and (3) resolving miscellaneous implementation questions that surfaced after prior sessions.

There were no public opponents present at the committee hearing. Representative Eaves made the motion to pass as amended; committee voice vote was recorded as “aye” and the chair declared the bill passed by the committee. Johnson said he had agreed to continue negotiating technical language once the bill reaches the Senate.

The bill now moves toward additional consideration in the legislature; sponsors said they expect further, post-passage negotiations on implementing rules and enforcement details.","The House Insurance & Commerce Committee passed legislation to clarify prior-authorization rules, create a fund for enforcement, and define what counts as prior authorization. The bill creates penalties that would feed a new enforcement fund and tightens definitions used by payers and providers.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee clears multiple insurance, consumer-protection and health bills in one session

Committee raises PBM licensure fee to support enforcement, sponsors say funds will go to AID

Committee passes bill expanding bariatric surgery coverage for commercial plans; injectables excluded

House committee approves Prior Authorization Transparency bill, adds enforcement fund