Bill > S557

This bill aims to protect access to confidential healthcare by requiring health insurance carriers in the Commonwealth to develop and use a common, easy-to-understand "summary of payments" form for provider claims, detailing a consumer's financial responsibility. Importantly, carriers will be prohibited from including descriptions of sensitive health care services, such as those related to reproductive health, mental health, or domestic violence, on these forms. Individuals legally authorized to consent to care, or those acting on their behalf, will have the right to choose how they receive these summaries, including delivery to an alternate address or electronically, and can request that the forms be suppressed entirely if the information could endanger them or limit future access to care, without needing to explain their reasoning. The bill also mandates that carriers educate insured individuals about these confidentiality rights and requires the state division to create regulations and educational plans for providers and consumers to ensure compliance.