Health care providers; prohibit enforcement of contractual terms that restrict sharing cost information to patients and consumers
SB 43 prevents healthcare providers from being legally bound by contracts that stop them from sharing cost information with patients. It directly affects patients seeking price transparency and healthcare providers who currently face restrictions in disclosing costs. The bill prohibits enforcement of such contractual terms, requiring providers to share pricing details without legal penalty. This change aims to help consumers compare costs when making health care decisions. The bill is currently pending in the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
May 2025
Introduced Feb 4, 2025
Signed May 22, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Engrossed
→
Enrolled
·
4 edits
·
May 22, 2025
MODERATE
The bill was finalized for signature (Enrolled) after passing both legislative chambers. The most significant substantive change is the removal of the phrase 'to provide a civil action to health care providers and pharmacists' from the bill's title and summary, though the enforcement mechanisms in the text remain intact. Additionally, the definition of 'Health Insurer' was updated to include nonprofit agricultural organizations providing health benefits, and a new subsection was added to allow providers to discuss the comparative effectiveness of treatments.
Scope change
The bill's scope was slightly narrowed in its title by removing explicit mention of pharmacists in the civil action provision, but the operational text still covers both providers and pharmacists. The definition of covered entities was expanded to include certain agricultural organizations.
DEFINITION
The definition of 'Health Insurer' was expanded to include nonprofit agricultural organizations that provide health care benefit plans to their members.
A new subsection was added allowing health care providers to opine on the 'comparative effectiveness' of available treatments or drugs, including alternative treatments.
TECHNICAL
The phrase 'to provide a civil action to health care providers and pharmacists' was removed from the bill's title and summary, though the legal right to sue remains in the text.
Minor formatting adjustments were made to align the bill with the final enrolled version after it passed the Senate and House.
Floor votes
How they voted
This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
26
Key actions
10
Committee
4
Amendments
4
May 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
Melson Concur In and Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1046
upper
May 7, 2025
Lower · Passed
Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 1207
lower
May 7, 2025
Lower · Passed
Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1206
lower
May 7, 2025
Introduced
Health Engrossed Substitute Offered (Health)
lower
Apr 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported Out of Committee Second House (Health)
lower
Apr 24, 2025
Introduced
Health 1st Amendment (Health)
lower
Apr 9, 2025
Lower · Passed
Pending Committee Action in Second House (Health)
lower
Apr 8, 2025
Upper · Passed
Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 539
upper
Apr 8, 2025
Upper · Passed
Singleton motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 538
upper
Apr 8, 2025
Introduced
Singleton 1st Amendment Offered
upper
Apr 8, 2025
Upper · Passed
Singleton motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 537
upper
Apr 8, 2025
Introduced
Banking and Insurance 1st Substitute Offered (Banking and Insurance)
upper
Mar 5, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported Out of Committee House of Origin
upper
Feb 4, 2025
Upper · Passed
Pending Committee Action in House of Origin (Banking and Insurance)
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Tim Melson
RRepublican
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