Bill
HB 1826
Arkansas would require health plans to cover birthing services at licensed birthing centers on parity with hospital births, with equal cost sharing, effective Jan 1, 2026.
Note on source material / status
- The provided materials include mixed and partly conflicting documents from more than one jurisdiction (an Arkansas bill on birthing-center coverage and an Illinois property-tax bill also labeled HB 1826), and the legislative-action timeline entries appear inconsistent (some show passage/enactment while the "Bill Information" header lists the bill as "Died In Committee").
- This summary focuses on the primary substantive text contained in the packet titled “TO MANDATE COVERAGE FOR DELIVERY OF A NEWBORN IN A LICENSED BIRTHING CENTER” (Arkansas, 95th General Assembly). If you need a summary of the Illinois text or clarification of procedural status, indicate which item you want prioritized.
Purpose and intent
- To require health benefit plans issued or administered in Arkansas to cover birthing services provided in licensed birthing centers on the same terms as birthing services provided in hospitals, ensuring parity of coverage and cost-sharing.
Key provisions
- Adds a new Subchapter 29 to Arkansas Code Title 23, Chapter 79 (Coverage for Licensed Birthing Centers).
- Definitions: establishes terms such as “enrollee,” “health benefit plan,” “healthcare insurer,” and “licensed birthing center” (a birthing center licensed by the Department of Health).
- Coverage requirement (effective January 1, 2026): any health benefit plan offered, issued, renewed, delivered, or extended in Arkansas must provide the same coverage for birthing services in a licensed birthing center as it does for those services in a hospital.
- Cost-sharing parity: coverage for licensed birthing centers may not be subject to greater deductibles, coinsurance, copayments, or out-of-pocket limits than other comparable benefits under the plan.
- Non-diminishment: required coverage may not reduce or limit other benefits otherwise allowable under a health benefit plan.
- Rulemaking authority: the Insurance Commissioner may promulgate rules for implementation and administration; the Secretary of the Department of Human Services may promulgate rules applicable to Arkansas Medicaid and the state’s “Health and Opportunity for Me” program.
- Amendments in the packet clarify exclusions and language around entities/trusts that are not considered “healthcare insurers” (e.g., certain trusts established under specified Arkansas statutes, plans for public school employees, etc.).
Who is affected
- Enrollees (individuals covered under Arkansas health benefit plans) who choose or seek delivery in a licensed birthing center.
- Health insurers and issuers of health benefit plans operating in Arkansas, including private carriers, managed care plans, and state programs such as Arkansas Medicaid and the Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me Program.
- Licensed birthing centers (potentially increased access/use).
- Employers and plan sponsors that provide health benefit plans in the state.
Procedural / timeline notes
- The bill text sets an operative date of January 1, 2026 for the parity requirement.
- The provided legislative-history entries are inconsistent (showing hearings, committee actions, and in some entries passage/enrollment). The Bill Information header lists the status as “Died In Committee.” Confirm the bill’s official status with the relevant legislative clerk or online bill-tracking resource before relying on enactment status.
Potential impact
- Expands settings in which childbirth may be covered, potentially increasing access to birthing centers and supporting patient choice.
- Insurers must ensure plan designs, cost-sharing structures, and provider networks accommodate birthing-center coverage on parity with hospitals.
- Medicaid and state health programs must align coverage and rules for beneficiaries.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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