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Senate Bill 10 sent to Committee of the Whole to allow insurers to send electronic notices
Summary
The Health & Human Services Committee moved Senate Bill 10 to the Committee of the Whole after testimony that the bill would let health insurers use email and online portals for notices; the Division of Insurance asked for language giving consumers the same ability to respond electronically.
The Health & Human Services Committee voted to send Senate Bill 10 to the Committee of the Whole after members and witnesses discussed changes that would allow health insurers to deliver notices and policy communications electronically.
The bill sponsor told the committee the measure "is pretty straightforward" and "seeks to authorize the use of familiar technologies for all communications and notices regarding health plans." The sponsor said insurers would be authorized to use email and internet-based accounts and portals accessible by computer or smartphone app for communicating with customers.
The Division of Insurance testified in an amend position and asked the committee to add consumer-facing protections. Jill Mullen, policy advisor at the Division of Insurance, said the division supports the bill’s goal but asked that consumers be given the same flexibility to submit documents electronically and to receive confirmation that carriers received their communications. "The amendments that we propose to the sponsors would allow consumers the same flexibilities to submit documents electronically," Mullen said, noting the division has seen cases where mailed documents were lost or not forwarded, delaying appeals or other coverage actions.
Senator Pelton (senator name as recorded in the transcript) emphasized the bill would not change existing legal requirements for required notices and would not alter protections under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Other senators described the bill as consumer-friendly and environmentally beneficial because it could reduce paper use.
After the witness phase and a brief amendment period in which sponsors said they were working with the Division of Insurance on language, the committee moved the bill to the Committee of the Whole. The motion was seconded by Senator Judah and the committee recorded the bill as passing unanimously.
The bill’s sponsors and proponents said they are continuing to work with the Division of Insurance on specific amendment language; no formal amendment was adopted at the committee hearing.
