This bill seeks to enhance the regulation of vision benefit managers and amend existing laws concerning vision care plans and healthcare contracting in Arkansas. It prohibits contracts for individual accident and health insurance from reducing benefits due to the existence of other insurance, explicitly including vision care in the definition of covered services. The bill introduces new definitions such as "vision benefit manager" and "enrollee," and establishes guidelines for reimbursement practices to ensure fair payments to vision care providers. It also outlines prohibited practices for provider agreements, ensuring that insurers and vision benefit managers cannot require discounts for noncovered services and that reimbursements for covered services meet or exceed the current Medicare reimbursement rate.

Additionally, the bill amends existing healthcare insurance laws by introducing a new category for "long-term care only plans" and removing "vision-only plans" from the list of plans not considered health benefit plans. The definition of "healthcare insurer" is expanded to include "vision-only plans," making them subject to state insurance regulation. The bill sets an effective date for its provisions, which will take effect upon the renewal of an enrollee's current health benefit plan, the initiation of a new contract with a vision care provider, or by January 1, 2026, ensuring timely implementation of the new regulations.

Statutes affected:
HB 1351: 23-85-132, 23-85-122, 23-99-1002, 23-99-301, 17-90-301, 17-91-101, 17-95-401, 23-99-1003, 23-99-1202(5), 23-99-1202(7)