Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee Senate Bill SB1389 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	HOUSE BILL 638
3	3	By Carringer
4	4
5	5	SENATE BILL 1389
6	6	By Watson
7	7
8	8
9	9	SB1389
10	10	002021
11	11	- 1 -
12	12
13	13	AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 33;
14	14	Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71, relative to
15	15	healthcare providers.
16	16
17	17	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
18	18	SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 63, Chapter 1, Part 1, is amended by
19	19	adding the following as a new section:
20	20	(a) As used in this section:
21	21	(1) "Bureau" means the bureau of TennCare;
22	22	(2) "Director" means the director of TennCare;
23	23	(3) "Enrollee" means a person who is enrolled in a medical assistance
24	24	health benefit plan;
25	25	(4) "Healthcare provider" or "provider" means a person who is licensed,
26	26	certified, or otherwise authorized or permitted by the laws of this state to
27	27	administer health care in the ordinary course of business or practice of a
28	28	profession; and
29	29	(5) "Medical assistance health benefit plan" means a policy or contract
30	30	for health insurance coverage provided under:
31	31	(A) The TennCare program administered under the Medical
32	32	Assistance Act of 1968, compiled in title 71, chapter 5, part 1, or a
33	33	successor medicaid program; or
34	34	(B) The CoverKids Act of 2006, compiled in title 71, chapter 3,
35	35	part 11, or a successor program.
36	36
37	37
38	38	- 2 - 002021
39	39
40	40	(b) A healthcare provider who participates in a medical assistance health benefit
41	41	plan, including a provider participating in the provider network of a managed care
42	42	organization that contracts with the bureau of TennCare to provide services under a
43	43	medical assistance health benefit plan, shall not refuse to provide healthcare services to
44	44	an enrollee based solely on the enrollee's refusal or failure to obtain a vaccine or
45	45	immunization for a particular infectious or communicable disease.
46	46	(c) The bureau shall not provide reimbursement for a medical assistance health
47	47	benefit plan to a provider who violates this section unless and until the bureau finds that
48	48	the provider is in compliance with this section.
49	49	(d) Subsection (c) applies only with respect to an individual healthcare provider.
50	50	The bureau shall not refuse to provide reimbursement to a provider who did not violate
51	51	this section based on that provider's membership in a provider group or medical
52	52	organization with an individual physician who violated this section.
53	53	(e) This section does not apply to a provider who is a specialist in:
54	54	(1) Oncology; or
55	55	(2) Organ transplant services.
56	56	(f) The director shall adopt rules necessary to implement this section, including
57	57	rules establishing the right of a provider who is alleged to have violated this section to
58	58	seek administrative and judicial review of the alleged violation. The rules must be
59	59	promulgated in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in
60	60	title 4, chapter 5.
61	61	(g) The director may seek such federal waiver that the director deems necessary
62	62	to effectuate this section.
63	63	SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.