HB1298

House Bill 1298 amends Arkansas insurance code to mandate that health insurance plans pay for out-of-network medical, hospital, nursing, or surgical claims directly to the healthcare provider. Under current law, such payments are often optional for the insurer or may be made directly to the insured. The bill defines the scope of 'health benefit plans' and 'healthcare insurers' subject to these requirements, including state programs like Arkansas Medicaid and the Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me Program. It explicitly excludes several types of insurance, such as workers' compensation, long-term care, and dental or vision-only plans. The bill aims to standardize the payment process for out-of-network services by removing the insurer's discretion to bypass the provider. These changes apply to individual, blanket, and group accident and health insurance policies.