---
title: HB 1354. Surprise Billing Consumer Protection Act; require certain health insurers providing a network plan to approve credentialing applications within a certain time frame
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1354
cite_as: HB 1354, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1354
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1354.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1354/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73329
date: 2026-02-25
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 199
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1354.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1354
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-18
last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
sponsors:
- Trey Kelley
- James Hatchett
- Mark Newton
text_version: Comm Sub
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1354/2025
upstream_id: 2119529
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- health insurance
- medical licensing
- provider credentialing
- surprise billing
- insurance regulation
---
# HB 1354. Surprise Billing Consumer Protection Act; require certain health insurers providing a network plan to approve credentialing applications within a certain time frame
## Text
The House Committee on Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight offers the following
substitute to HB 1354:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 24 of Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
insurance generally, so as to require health insurers to implement a standardized
credentialing application; to provide for health insurers to approve credentialing applications
within a certain time frame; to provide for the Department of Insurance and the Department
of Community Health to coordinate with stakeholders to establish a standardized
credentialing application; to provide for health insurers to utilize such application; to provide
for rules and regulations; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to
repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 24 of Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to insurance
generally, is amended in Article 1, relating to general provisions, by revising Code
Section 33-24-37, which is reserved, as follows:
"33-24-37.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Complete credentialing application' means the submission of a credentialing
application and any supporting documents for a healthcare provider to a health insurer.
(2) 'Credentialing' means to collect, verify, and assess whether a healthcare provider
meets relevant licensing, education, and training requirements.
(b) Every health insurer shall approve complete credentialing applications from healthcare
providers within 45 days of receipt of any such application if submitted in accordance with
the rules and regulations promulgated by the department.
(c) The department and the Department of Community Health shall coordinate with
stakeholders to establish a standardized credentialing application for use in credentialing
healthcare providers, which may be based on acceptance of data from or integration with
the credentialing verification system used by the state Medicaid program to verify the
qualifications, licenses, education, training, and professional history of healthcare
providers.
(d) No later than July 1, 2027, every health insurer shall utilize the standardized
credentialing application established pursuant to subsection (c) of this Code section.
(e) No later than January 1, 2027, the department shall promulgate rules and regulations
to implement the provisions of this Code section. Reserved."
SECTION 2.
This Act shall become effective July 1, 2026.
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Georgia House bill would require health insurers to approve complete provider credentialing applications within 45 days and to adopt a standardized credentialing form by mid-2027.
### Plain-language summary
Currently there is no statewide deadline in Georgia law for how quickly health insurers must process a healthcare provider's paperwork to join their network, a process called credentialing. This bill fills that gap in Georgia's insurance code (O.C.G.A. § 33-24-37) by requiring every health insurer to approve a complete credentialing application within 45 days of receiving it, as long as it follows rules set by the Department of Insurance.
The bill also directs the Department of Insurance and the Department of Community Health to work with stakeholders to build one standardized credentialing application, possibly linked to the system the state Medicaid program already uses to verify providers. Insurers would have to start using that standardized form by July 1, 2027, and the Department of Insurance must issue implementing rules by January 1, 2027. The overall law would take effect July 1, 2026.
### What it does
- Sets a 45 day deadline for health insurers to approve a complete credentialing application from a healthcare provider once all required documents are submitted.
- Defines 'complete credentialing application' and 'credentialing' in Georgia insurance law for the first time in this section.
- Directs the Department of Insurance and the Department of Community Health to jointly develop one standardized credentialing application, possibly tied into the state Medicaid verification system.
- Requires all health insurers to switch to using that standardized application no later than July 1, 2027.
- Requires the Department of Insurance to write rules implementing the new law by January 1, 2027.
### Who it affects
Health insurers that offer network health plans in Georgia, healthcare providers such as doctors and other practitioners applying to join insurance networks, the Department of Insurance, and the Department of Community Health, which must jointly build the standardized application.
### Why it matters
Providers currently can face long, unpredictable waits before insurers approve them to join a network, which can delay patients' access to in-network care. A firm 45 day deadline and a single standard application could speed up how quickly new providers start seeing insured patients.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 33-24-37 to define 'complete credentialing application' and 'credentialing.'
- Subsection (b) requires health insurers to approve complete credentialing applications within 45 days of receipt if submitted under department rules.
- Subsection (c) requires the Department of Insurance and Department of Community Health to coordinate with stakeholders to create a standardized credentialing application, possibly linked to the state Medicaid credentialing system.
- Subsection (d) requires all health insurers to use the standardized application by July 1, 2027.
- Subsection (e) requires the Department of Insurance to issue implementing rules and regulations by January 1, 2027.
- Section 2 sets the Act's effective date as July 1, 2026.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-18)
- Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (2026-02-25)
- Sponsors: Trey Kelley, James Hatchett, Mark Newton
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73329
> The history, votes, and amendments (199 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1354.md?full=1