HB231: HB231 Insurance; coverage of complementary and alternative therapies under certain conditions; provide

Georgia law currently does not require health insurance policies to cover complementary and alternative therapies such as acupuncture, chiropractic care, or massage therapy. This bill would add a new section to Georgia's insurance code requiring every health benefit policy issued, delivered, amended, or renewed in the state to include coverage for these therapies when provided by a licensed physician, acupuncturist, chiropractor, or massage therapist. The bill also requires insurers to offer, as an optional endorsement, coverage for therapies from a qualified herbalist, homeopath, or naturopath, but only when a licensed physician has ordered that therapy. Insurers could still apply exclusions, deductibles, or coinsurance limits approved by the state Insurance Commissioner, and could offer benefits beyond the minimum required. The bill excludes certain narrow policy types, like disability income or long-term care insurance, and self-funded employer health plans governed by federal law. It would take effect July 1, 2025, applying to policies issued or renewed on or after that date.

• Requires all covered Georgia health benefit policies to include coverage for complementary and alternative therapies from licensed physicians, acupuncturists, chiropractors, or massage therapists.
• Requires insurers to offer an optional endorsement covering therapies from a qualified herbalist, homeopath, or naturopath, only if ordered by a licensed physician.
• Defines key terms like acupuncture, chiropractic, herbalism, homeopathy, and naturopathy by cross-referencing existing Georgia licensing laws.
• Allows the Insurance Commissioner to approve exclusions, deductibles, or coinsurance limits on these required and optional coverages.
• Directs the Commissioner to write rules and regulations to carry out the new coverage requirements.
• Excludes certain limited insurance types, such as disability income policies and self-funded employer plans under federal ERISA law, from the new requirements.

Georgia residents with health benefit policies, insurance companies and health maintenance organizations operating in the state, and licensed physicians, acupuncturists, chiropractors, massage therapists, herbalists, homeopaths, and naturopaths who provide these therapies.

Georgians with covered health plans would gain access to insurance-paid acupuncture, chiropractic care, and massage therapy, and could get coverage for herbal, homeopathic, or naturopathic treatment if a doctor orders it. Insurers would face new coverage mandates, though they could still limit benefits with state approval.

• Subsection (a) defines terms such as acupuncturist, chiropractor, herbalist, homeopath, naturopath, and health benefit policy, tying definitions to existing Georgia licensing statutes.
• Subsection (b) makes coverage for therapies from licensed physicians, acupuncturists, chiropractors, and massage therapists mandatory in every applicable health benefit policy.
• Subsection (c) makes coverage for herbalist, homeopath, or naturopath therapies available only as an optional endorsement, and only when a physician has ordered the therapy.
• Subsection (d) lets the Commissioner approve exclusions, reductions, deductibles, or coinsurance limits on these coverages.
• Subsection (e) clarifies insurers may offer benefits beyond the required minimum.
• Subsection (f) directs the Commissioner to create implementing rules and regulations.
• Section 2 sets the effective date as July 1, 2025, applying to policies issued, delivered, or renewed on or after that date.

1. 2025-02-06House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-02-05House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-04House Hopper (House)

• Yasmin Neal (D, HD-079)Primary sponsor
• Michelle Au (D, HD-050)
• Park Cannon (D, HD-058)

• health insurance coverage
• alternative medicine
• acupuncture
• chiropractic care
• insurance regulation