1|ENGROSSED HOUSE | |BILL NO. 1161 By: Tedford of the House | 2| | | and | 3| | | Frix of the Senate | 4| | | | 5| | | | 6| | | | 7| An Act relating to insurance; defining terms; | | directing that legislation containing mandates | 8| impacting health benefit plans be submitted to the | | Insurance Department by the Legislative Service | 9| Bureau; directing Department to return report within | | certain time frame; providing required contents of | 10| report; permitting contracting with third party; | | permitting Department to seek input from state | 11| agencies; limiting number of submissions; requiring | | written permission; directing Bureau to provide copy | 12| of report; directing report be made publicly | | available; providing for codification; and providing | 13| an effective date. | | | 14| | | | 15| | | | 16| | | | 17|BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: | | | 18| SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified | | | 19|in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 8000 of Title 36, unless there | | | 20|is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: | | | 21| As used in this act: | | | 22| 1. "Bureau" means the Legislative Service Bureau as established | | | 23|in Section 450.1 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes; | | | 24| | | | arsid1670066 ENGR. H. B. NO. 1161 Page 1 ___________________________________________________________________________
1| 2. "Department" means the Oklahoma Insurance Department as | | | 2|established in Section 301 of Title 36 of the Oklahoma Statutes; | | | 3| 3. "Health benefit plan" means a health benefit plan as defined | | | 4|pursuant to Section 6060.4 of Title 36 of the Oklahoma Statutes; and | | | 5| 4. "Mandate" means any requirement proposed in legislation or | | | 6|regulation that obligates health benefit plans to: | | | 7| a. provide, offer, or expand coverage for specific | | | 8| health care services or providers, treatments, medical | | | 9| supplies, or populations, or | | | 10| b. implement operational or administrative processes | | | 11| such as prior authorization, reporting requirements, | | | 12| or claims procedures. | | | 13| SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified | | | 14|in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 8001 of Title 36, unless there | | | 15|is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: | | | 16| A. When the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives or | | | 17|President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma State Senate or their | | | 18|delegates decides a bill contains a mandate impacting health benefit | | | 19|plans as provided for in Section 1 of this act, they may direct the | | | 20|Legislative Service Bureau to submit such bill to the Oklahoma | | | 21|Insurance Department for the purpose of conducting an impact | | | 22|analysis. | | | 23| B. 1. When conducting such analysis, the Department shall | | | 24|analyze the proposed mandate and prepare a written report to be | | | arsid1670066 ENGR. H. B. NO. 1161 Page 2 ___________________________________________________________________________
1|returned to the Legislative Service Bureau within sixty (60) days | | | 2|from referral. | | | 3| 2. Such report shall include, but not be limited to: | | | 4| a. social impact: | | | 5| (1) the extent to which the mandate addresses a | | | 6| significant public health issue, | | | 7| (2) the number of individuals and demographics | | | 8| affected by the proposed mandate, and | | | 9| (3) any anticipated impact on access to health care | | | 10| services, | | | 11| b. medical efficacy: | | | 12| (1) a review of peer-reviewed studies, clinical | | | 13| guidelines, and other scientific evidence | | | 14| evaluating the effectiveness of the treatment or | | | 15| service, and | | | 16| (2) input from medical experts and professional | | | 17| organizations as appropriate, | | | 18| c. financial impact: | | | 19| (1) the estimated effect on insurance premiums for | | | 20| consumers and employers, | | | 21| (2) the potential cost implications for insurers, | | | 22| health care providers, and state-funded programs | | | 23| that provide payment for covered services, and | | | 24| | | | arsid1670066 ENGR. H. B. NO. 1161 Page 3 ___________________________________________________________________________
1| (3) any anticipated impact on the stability of the | | | 2| state's insurance market. | | | 3| C. The Department may contract with a third-party vendor who | | | 4|specializes in actuarial services, insurance mandate reviews, or | | | 5|other services which the Department deems necessary to carry out the | | | 6|provisions of this act. | | | 7| D. The Department may seek the input and expertise of any | | | 8|agency of this state to evaluate the potential impact to | | | 9|state-funded programs that provide payment for covered services. | | | 10| E. The Bureau shall not submit more than six referrals, equally | | | 11|divided between the House of Representatives and the Senate, for | | | 12|analysis to the Department per fiscal year. Any additional referral | | | 13|for analysis must be approved by the Department in writing at the | | | 14|discretion of the Insurance Commissioner before submission by the | | | 15|Bureau. | | | 16| F. Upon return of the analysis by the Department to the Bureau, | | | 17|the Bureau shall provide a copy, by either written or electronic | | | 18|means, to the author of the legislative measure, the chairman of the | | | 19|legislative committee to which the measure was referred, and make | | | 20|such report available on the legislative website, which is | | | 21|accessible to the general public. | | | 22| SECTION 3. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026. | | | 23| Passed the House of Representatives the 9th day of February, | |2026. | 24| | | | arsid1670066 ENGR. H. B. NO. 1161 Page 4 ___________________________________________________________________________
1| | | | 2| Presiding Officer of the House | | of Representatives | 3| | | | 4| Passed the Senate the ___ day of __________, 2026. | | | 5| | | | 6| | | Presiding Officer of the Senate | 7| | | | 8| | | | 9| | | | 10| | | | 11| | | | 12| | | | 13| | | | 14| | | | 15| | | | 16| | | | 17| | | | 18| | | | 19| | | | 20| | | | 21| | | | 22| | | | 23| | | | 24| | | | arsid1670066 ENGR. H. B. NO. 1161 Page 5