SB 131: Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce; Georgia Health Care Professionals Data System; establishment - Georgia

LC 33 9827ERS/hrcs → SB 131/SFA · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill completely replaces the original text to shift focus from mental health parity compliance to consumer protection for automatic service renewals. The new version requires sellers to provide clear notice before renewing long-term contracts and mandates pro-rata refunds for significant price increases, while also requiring explicit consumer consent for renewals lasting over two years.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from regulating mental health service parity to regulating automatic renewal clauses in consumer service contracts.

SCOPE

Removed all provisions regarding the Behavioral Health Coordinating Council, parity compliance review panels, and mental health reporting requirements.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirements for sellers to notify consumers 30-60 days before automatic renewal and disclose cancellation procedures.

Added a mandate for sellers to issue pro-rata refunds within 45 days if a price increase of 50% or more occurs during an automatic renewal.

Added a requirement for written or electronic consumer acknowledgment and affirmative consent for any automatic renewal term exceeding 24 months.

TIMELINE

Set the effective date for the new rules to December 31, 2026, applying to contracts entered into on or after that date.

LC 55 0607S/hss → LC 33 9827ERS/hrcs · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten to shift its focus from creating a public data system for general health care professionals to establishing a Behavioral Health Coordinating Council and a new Parity Compliance Review Panel. The original version aimed to collect demographic data on all licensed health workers, while the new version targets mental health and substance use disorder services to ensure insurance coverage parity.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from applying to all health care professions (doctors, nurses, dentists, etc.) to specifically addressing mental health, developmental disabilities, and addictive diseases within the state's behavioral health system.

SCOPE

The primary subject changed from a 'Georgia Health Care Professionals Data System' to a 'Behavioral Health Coordinating Council' and a 'Parity Compliance Review Panel'.

REQUIREMENT

A new Parity Compliance Review Panel was created to evaluate complaints about insurance coverage for mental health and substance use disorders.

DEFINITION

The list of regulated professionals changed from a broad list of all licensed health workers to specific commissioners and officials within the behavioral health and human services sectors.

FISCAL

The authorization to seek funding for a general health care data system was removed.

As Passed Senate → LC 55 0607S/hss · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to replace the original Senate version with a House substitute that expands the data collected by the Georgia Health Care Professionals Data System. This change adds two new categories of personal information - birth date and full residential address (city, county, and ZIP code) - to the list of data points the state board is authorized to gather.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding data collection was expanded to include more granular personal identifiers for healthcare professionals.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement to collect the month and year of birth for healthcare professionals.

Added a requirement to collect the city, county, and ZIP code of residence for healthcare professionals.

Modified the list of required data fields by removing the standalone 'License type' item and renumbering the list to accommodate the new fields.

As introduced LC 52 0604 → As Passed Senate · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to remove requirements for state licensing boards to collect and report race, ethnicity, and gender data for healthcare professionals. Additionally, the bill was renumbered to reflect its passage in the Senate.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed by eliminating the mandate for the collection of specific demographic data (race and ethnicity) from licensed healthcare practitioners.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the requirement for licensing boards to collect and report the race and ethnicity of healthcare professionals.

Removed the requirement for licensing boards to collect and report the gender of healthcare professionals (merged into a new language proficiency requirement).

Added a requirement for licensing boards to report whether healthcare professionals are proficient in English and other languages.

TECHNICAL

Updated bill tracking numbers and status indicators to reflect the version passed by the Senate.

Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce; Georgia Health Care Professionals Data System; establishment

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