TO AMEND THE ARKANSAS HEALTH CARE CONSUMER ACT; AND TO REDUCE THE TIME ALLOWED FOR PROCESSING AN APPLICATION OF A PROVIDER.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Missy Irvin and 1 co-sponsor

Act 571 reduces application processing time for healthcare providers to 90 days, improving access to services for consumers and allowing quicker participation in insurance networks.

Notification that HB1788 is now Act 571

Purpose and Intent

House Bill 1788, now known as Act 571, aims to amend the Arkansas Health Care Consumer Act by reducing the time allowed for healthcare insurers to process applications from providers. The intent of this legislation is to streamline the application process, thereby improving access to healthcare services for consumers by ensuring that providers can begin offering their services more quickly.

Key Provisions

The primary changes introduced by HB 1788 include:

Reduction of Processing Time:

The time frame for healthcare insurers to make a decision on applications has been modified as follows:
For physicians licensed under the Arkansas Medical Practices Act, the decision must be made within 90 calendar days from the date of submission of a completed application.
For other healthcare providers, the decision must be made within 90 calendar days as well, reducing the previous timeline of 180 calendar days.

This amendment is designed to expedite the approval process for healthcare providers, allowing them to participate in insurance networks more swiftly.

Affected Parties

The following groups will be directly impacted by the provisions of HB 1788:

Healthcare Providers: Physicians and other healthcare providers seeking to join insurance networks will benefit from a faster application process.

Healthcare Insurers: Insurers will need to adjust their internal processes to comply with the new timelines for application decisions.

Consumers: Patients may experience improved access to healthcare services as more providers can join networks more quickly, potentially leading to a broader range of available services.

Legislative Timeline

Introduced: March 13, 2025

Passed: The bill passed through various readings and amendments in both the House and Senate, with significant actions occurring on:

March 20, 2025: Amendment No. 1 adopted, reducing the processing time.
April 9, 2025: The bill was passed by both chambers and ordered to be enrolled.

Enacted: The bill was signed into law and is now officially Act 571 as of April 14, 2025.

Conclusion

House Bill 1788 represents a significant change in the Arkansas Health Care Consumer Act, aimed at enhancing the efficiency of the application process for healthcare providers. By reducing the time insurers have to process applications, the legislation seeks to improve healthcare access for consumers in Arkansas.

Bill