Senate Bill 2070, also known as the "Stopping Health Insurers from Excluding Legal Decisions (SHIELD) Act," aims to amend Tennessee law regarding healthcare provider reimbursement, specifically in relation to patient vaccination exemptions. The bill introduces a new section to Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 56, Chapter 7, Part 10, which prohibits health insurance entities from penalizing healthcare providers for having exempt patients—those who decline vaccinations for religious or medical reasons. Key provisions include the requirement for health insurance entities to exclude exempt patients from any vaccination-related quality measures, ratings, or reimbursement calculations, and to ensure that providers are not penalized or terminated from networks for retaining such patients.

Additionally, the bill stipulates that any claims for reimbursement denied or reduced in violation of these provisions will be considered "clean claims," thus subject to interest penalties and remediation requirements. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2026, and will apply to contracts entered into, renewed, amended, or delivered on or after that date.