SB 1838 Arizona Senate · 57th Legislature - Second Regular Session

2026-2027; health care

This Arizona bill mandates stricter verification processes for state health care eligibility by requiring monthly data checks against tax and death records, while also ending the acceptance of self-reported information without independent proof. It specifically targets able-bodied adults for quarterly eligibility reviews and limits "presumptive" emergency coverage to only children and pregnant women, requiring hospitals to assist applicants in transitioning to full applications. The legislation also establishes a penalty system for hospitals that fail to follow these new rules, including mandatory staff training and the potential loss of their ability to make eligibility determinations.

Issues: ✗ Healthcare

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Apr 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Apr 27, 2026 Last action May 4, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Version → Senate Engrossed Version · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was reorganized into a formal Senate Engrossed version with updated headers and page numbering. The core policy text remained largely the same, though minor formatting adjustments were made to the statute sections. The most significant substantive addition is a new section (Section 10) that allows the healthcare administration to continue using a specific risk contingency rate setting method for managed care organizations during the 2026-2027 fiscal year, a provision not present in the original introduced version.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding eligibility verification, presumptive eligibility limits, and county funding contributions remained unchanged. The applicability of the new risk contingency rate setting applies to all managed care organizations for the 2026-2027 contract year.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new requirement allowing the Arizona health care cost containment system administration to continue a specific risk contingency rate setting for managed care organizations for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

TECHNICAL

Updated the document structure from a draft 'Introduced Version' to a formal 'Senate Engrossed Version' with corrected headers, page numbers, and statutory formatting.

Minor formatting adjustments were made to the text of Sections 36-2903.18 and 36-2903.19, including capitalization and spacing, without altering the legal meaning.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

May 4, 2026

Upper · Passed

upper

Apr 28, 2026

Upper · Passed

upper

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor