Bill > SB1533

This bill establishes a Health Care Claims Consumer Assistance Program within the Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions to help individuals navigate health insurance, including filing complaints and appeals with health insurers, resolving disputes over denied claims, and understanding their rights and responsibilities. The program will also assist consumers in obtaining health insurance coverage and federal premium tax credits, and it will collect data on consumer inquiries and problems. Health insurers will be required to prominently display information about this program on all relevant communications, and the department can contract with a non-profit entity to run the program. The bill also introduces penalties for health insurers that wrongfully deny or insufficiently cover valid consumer claims, with civil penalties potentially reaching up to $25,000 per violation, and allows for double the amount of wrongfully denied claims to be paid to consumers, along with attorney fees, and additional damages for severe harm. The department will track wrongful denials, collect data from insurers, and publish an annual report detailing claim denial statistics and investigation outcomes on its website, while also adjusting penalty amounts for inflation and market changes.

Budget and Finance

https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/85145