This bill seeks to regulate vision benefit managers and amend existing laws related to vision care and healthcare contracting in Arkansas. It introduces new definitions, such as "vision benefit manager" and "enrollee," and prohibits the reduction of benefits due to other insurance contracts. The legislation establishes guidelines for reimbursement practices, ensuring that payments to vision care providers are fair and comply with Medicare rates. It also outlines prohibited practices for provider agreements, such as preventing providers from being forced to apply discounts for noncovered services and prohibiting insurers from steering enrollees towards specific providers. Additionally, the bill bans the use of extrapolation in audits of vision care providers, promoting transparency and fairness in vision care benefits.

Moreover, the bill amends the definition of "healthcare insurer" under the Healthcare Contracting Simplification Act to include vision-only plans, while removing their previous classification from another section for clarity. It sets an effective date for the new provisions, which will take effect upon the renewal of an enrollee's health benefit plan, the initiation of a new contract with a vision care provider, or by January 1, 2026. This ensures timely implementation of the new regulations in alignment with existing contractual obligations and enrollment periods.

Statutes affected:
HB 1353: 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)
Act 142: 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)