SB1212

THE CONTEXT: Title 20 regulates health insurers and the issuance of health coverage, including requirements for compliance with federal law. The Director of the Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions, appointed by the governor, can conduct examinations and investigations of insurance matters to determine whether a person has violated any provision of statute regarding insurance ( A.

WHAT THE BILL DID: The final vetoed version would prohibit a health care insurer, starting on January 1, 2027, from reimbursing a health professional at a different rate based on a covered individual's decision to refuse one or more vaccines and define covered individual, health care insurer and health professional.

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to give patients a defined set of rights and a clear informed-consent standard. It would prohibit a health care insurer, starting on January 1, 2027, from reimbursing a health professional at a different rate based on a covered individual's decision to refuse one or more vaccines, and would also define covered individual, health care insurer and health professional, rather than leave the current rule unchanged.