House Bill 29, sponsored by Cepicky, amends Tennessee Code Annotated to update the terminology used in relation to chiropractors, replacing the term "chiropractor" with "chiropractic physician" throughout Section 56-7-2404. Additionally, the bill introduces a new subdivision that mandates health insurance entities to treat chiropractic physicians and other licensed physicians equally when determining reimbursement amounts for services listed in nationally recognized services and procedures code books. This provision aims to prevent discrimination in reimbursement calculations and prohibits the creation of chiropractic-specific codes that could undermine this equality.

The new language clarifies that while health insurance entities must adhere to this non-discriminatory reimbursement methodology, they are still permitted to use national uniform relative value units (RVUs) for service evaluations. However, the bill specifies that this non-discrimination rule does not apply to certain programs, including TennCare, CoverKids, or insurance coverage provided by state or local governments. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 56-7-2404, 56-7-2404(a)