Georgia CommonsHB 1122: Insurance; group or individual accident and sickness plans; provisions
Last action March 9, 2026 · Senate Read and Referred
House Bill 1122 would require Georgia health insurance plans, the state health benefit plan, and Medicaid to cover peripheral artery disease screening tests once a year for people at higher risk of the disease.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Comm Sub version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a form of atherosclerosis that narrows arteries in the legs and raises the risk of heart attack, stroke, amputation, and death. Many people at risk are never screened for it. This bill adds new sections to Georgia law requiring health benefit policies, the state employee health plan, and Medicaid to cover a PAD screening test, such as ankle-brachial index testing, at least once every 12 months for defined 'at-risk individuals,' including people 65 or older and younger people with diabetes or other risk factors. The coverage requirement for private and individual health benefit policies takes effect January 1, 2027, and applies to policies issued or renewed on or after that date, but does not apply to self-funded employer plans governed by federal law. The state employee plan and Medicaid coverage requirements only take effect if the General Assembly specifically appropriates funding for them in a future budget act.
What the bill does
- Requires health benefit policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027 to cover a peripheral artery disease screening test at least once every 12 months for at-risk individuals.
- Defines 'at-risk individual' by age and risk factors such as diabetes, smoking history, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or family history of the disease.
- Exempts self-funded employer health plans governed by federal law (ERISA) from the new coverage requirement.
- Adds the same screening coverage requirement to the state employee health benefit plan, but only if the General Assembly appropriates specific funding for it.
- Requires Georgia Medicaid to cover the same screening for at-risk recipients, but only if the General Assembly appropriates specific funding, and directs the state to seek federal approval if needed.
- Bars insurers from applying special deductibles or copays to this screening that are not applied to other covered benefits.
Who it affects
People enrolled in private or group health insurance policies in Georgia, state government employees on the state health plan, Medicaid recipients, and insurers, health maintenance organizations, and other entities that issue health benefit policies in the state.
Why it matters
People at risk of peripheral artery disease, especially older adults, people with diabetes, smokers, and those with high blood pressure or cholesterol, would gain guaranteed access to a low-cost screening test that can catch the disease before it leads to amputation, stroke, or death.
Key provisions
- Section 1 lists legislative findings on how common and dangerous peripheral artery disease is, including that about 200,000 Americans suffer avoidable amputations from it yearly.
- Section 2 adds Code Section 33-24-59.37 requiring most health benefit policies to cover PAD screening tests yearly for at-risk individuals starting January 1, 2027, excluding ERISA self-funded plans.
- Section 3 adds Code Section 45-18-4.3 requiring the state employee health plan to cover the same screening, effective only with a specific budget appropriation.
- Section 4 adds Code Section 49-4-159.5 requiring Medicaid to cover the screening for at-risk recipients, effective only with a specific budget appropriation, and requires a state plan amendment if needed.
- Section 5 sets the general effective date as January 1, 2027, but ties the state plan and Medicaid provisions to future appropriations acts.
- Section 6 repeals conflicting laws.
From the bill
“A health benefit policy amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027, shall provide coverage, no less than once every 12 months, for a peripheral artery disease screening test for any at-risk individual.”
“An estimated 21 million Americans have PAD, and about 200,000 of them, who are disproportionately minorities, suffer avoidable amputations every year as a result of such disease”
Status timeline
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Postponed (House)
- House Postponed (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
Show full history (10 actions)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Demetrius Douglas (D, HD-078)
- Mark Newton (R, HD-127)
- Carolyn Hugley (D, HD-141)
- Lee Hawkins (R, HD-027)
- Karlton Howard (D, HD-129)
Votes
- House voteMarch 6, 2026
167 yea, 2 nay (4 not voting, 4 absent)
Topics
- health insurance coverage
- peripheral artery disease
- Medicaid benefits
- state employee health plan
- preventive screening