This bill amends RSA 420-J:8 to establish new notice requirements for health carriers regarding changes to contracts with participating providers and facilities. Specifically, it mandates that health carriers provide a minimum of 60 days' notice before implementing any proposed contract changes, limiting such changes to four times per calendar year (effective on January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1). The bill allows for exceptions where mutual agreement can waive the notice requirement, or if changes are necessitated by state or federal regulations or updates to procedural terminology codes. Additionally, health carriers are required to provide both a copy of the existing contract and a revised version with changes clearly indicated.

Furthermore, if the changes to a contract result in an aggregate reimbursement change exceeding $500,000 per calendar year across all participating providers, the carrier must provide a good faith estimate of the financial impact to each provider and submit this information to the commissioner of insurance for public disclosure. The bill also includes provisions for the format of the notice, requiring that changes be highlighted through underlining and strikethroughs. The act is set to take effect 60 days after its passage, and while the fiscal impact is indeterminable, it is expected that there may be minor increases in workload and potential revenue changes related to insurance premiums.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 420-J:8
HB1813 text: 420-J:8