HB20-1008 Summary

• Defines "health care cost-sharing arrangement" as health care sharing ministries or medical cost-sharing communities that collect regular member contributions to share or defray medical costs.

• Requires health care cost-sharing arrangements to file annual audited financial statements, membership data, provider lists, and medical bill information (submitted, paid, and denied) with the insurance commissioner by March 1 each year starting in 2021.

• Mandates prominent disclosure on websites and marketing materials that membership does not guarantee payment, members remain personally responsible for bills, and preexisting condition exclusions may apply; prospective members must sign written disclosures before enrollment.

• Prohibits enrollment during the annual open enrollment period for health benefit plans and requires cost-sharing arrangements to respond to provider payment requests within a timeframe set by the commissioner by rule.

• Authorizes the commissioner to assess civil penalties up to $500 for initial violations and up to $5,000 for subsequent violations, and to issue emergency cease-and-desist orders against those misrepresenting cost-sharing benefits.