SB 1611 Arizona Senate · 57th Legislature - Second Regular Session

American Indian health program; administration

SB 1611 requires Arizona's health administration to contract with a qualified entity to manage administrative services for the American Indian health program starting October 1, 2027. This affects eligible American Indian and Alaska Native members who currently have a fee-for-service option, as well as Indian health care providers and tribal governments. The bill mandates legislative committee review of procurement plans and allows nonvoting committee observers during vendor selection, while ensuring the administration retains final authority and cannot eliminate the fee-for-service program. It preserves members' rights to choose fee-for-service coverage, enroll in managed care, and maintains federal protections for Indian health providers under 42 CFR § 438.14.

Bill status introduced 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 3, 2026 Last action Mar 10, 2026

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What changed between versions

Introduced Version → Senate Engrossed Version · 7 edits

MODERATE

The bill was revised to strengthen tribal involvement and improve care coordination for American Indian health program members. Key changes include adding a dedicated Office of Tribal Relations, requiring quarterly consultations with tribal leaders, and expanding the Administrative Services Organization's duties to include claims payment and quality improvement. The revision also clarifies that the program does not cover services provided through existing tribal health programs and adds specific protections against prior authorization barriers when members are referred from tribal facilities.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to explicitly include claims payment and quality improvement functions for the administrative services organization, while clarifying that services provided through tribal health programs are excluded from this new administrative contract.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new requirement for the administrative services organization to establish an Office of Tribal Relations to serve as the primary contact for tribal governments and coordinate with tribal health programs.

Mandated quarterly consultations between the administration, the administrative services organization, and tribal representatives to evaluate performance and ensure quality care.

Added a prohibition on requiring prior authorization for services when an American Indian member is referred from a tribal health program to a non-tribal provider.

Expanded the administrative services organization's duties to include claims payment, quality improvement, and provider support, while retaining the Office of Inspector General's fraud investigation authority.

Changed the procurement process to require meaningful tribal consultation and urban confer before submitting state plan amendments or waivers to federal agencies.

DEFINITION

Updated the definition of 'American Indian health program' to explicitly exclude services provided through tribal health programs.

ELIGIBILITY

Granted federally recognized Indian tribes the right to appoint nonvoting observers to the proposal evaluation committee to review offeror materials and ask questions.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Mar 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

DPA

upper

Feb 11, 2026

Upper · Passed

DPA

upper

1 primary · 3 co-sponsors