SB289 Summary: Medical Ethics and Diversity Act

• Creates a new subchapter in Arkansas Code establishing the "Medical Ethics and Diversity Act" to protect the right of conscience for medical practitioners, healthcare institutions, and healthcare payers.

• Grants medical practitioners, healthcare institutions, and healthcare payers the right to decline participation in any healthcare service that violates their religious, moral, or ethical beliefs without facing civil, criminal, or administrative liability.

• Prohibits discrimination, retaliation, or adverse actions against those exercising conscience rights, including termination, denial of staff privileges, demotion, wage reduction, or denial of licensure and financing.

• Requires healthcare payers to file annual conscience policies with the State Insurance Department listing by billing code all products, services, and procedures they will not pay for on conscience grounds, and prohibits them from using undisclosed conscience objections to refuse payments.

• Provides civil remedies allowing aggrieved parties to recover treble damages (3x actual damages) with a minimum of $5,000 per violation, plus court costs and attorney's fees; excludes emergency medical care requirements under federal law from conscience protections.