---
title: HB 170. Insurance; benefit provider to disclose certain payments to a treating healthcare provider; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb170
cite_as: HB 170, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb170
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb170.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb170/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69647
date: 2026-02-19
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: 291
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb170.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 170
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-01-29
last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported
sponsors:
- Karen Mathiak
- Lee Hawkins
- Gerald Greene
- Anissa Jones
- Darlene Taylor
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB170/2025
upstream_id: 1947673
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- health insurance
- medical billing
- personal injury claims
- insurance regulation
---
# HB 170. Insurance; benefit provider to disclose certain payments to a treating healthcare provider; provide
## Text
House Bill 170
By: Representatives Mathiak of the 82nd, Hawkins of the 27th, Greene of the 154th, Jones of
the 143rd, and Taylor of the 173rd
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 3 of Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
authorization and general requirements for transaction of insurance, so as to provide for a
benefit provider to disclose certain payments to a treating healthcare provider; to provide for
definitions; 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 3 of Title 33 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to authorization and
general requirements for transaction of insurance, is amended by adding a new Code section
to read as follows:
"33-3-28.1.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Benefit provider' means any insurer, health maintenance organization, health benefit
plan, preferred provider organization, employee benefit plan, or other entity which
provides for payment or reimbursement of healthcare expenses, healthcare services,
disability payments, lost wage payments, or any other benefits under a policy of
insurance or contract with an individual or group.
(2) 'Injured party' means a person who alleges that he or she has been injured by the acts
or omissions of a third party and who has received payments or reimbursements from a
benefit provider. Such term also includes the personal representative of the estate of such
person.
(3) 'Treating healthcare provider' means a person duly licensed or legally authorized to
provide healthcare services in this state and who has provided such services to an injured
party.
(b) Within 30 days of a written request from a treating healthcare provider, a benefit
provider shall provide to such treating healthcare provider a written accounting of any and
all payments and reimbursements made to an injured party for such treating healthcare
provider's healthcare services to such injured party."
SECTION 2.
This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law
without such approval.
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 insurance companies and other benefit providers to give treating healthcare providers a written accounting of payments made to injured patients for their care, upon request.
### Plain-language summary
Under current Georgia law, a healthcare provider who treated an injured patient does not have a clear right to find out what an insurer or other benefit provider paid or reimbursed that patient for the provider's own services. This often matters in situations like car accident injury claims, where a patient may receive a settlement or reimbursement that includes money meant to cover medical bills.
This bill adds a new section to Georgia's insurance code (O.C.G.A. § 33-3-28.1) requiring a 'benefit provider,' defined broadly to include insurers, health maintenance organizations, and other entities that pay healthcare or disability benefits, to give a treating healthcare provider a written accounting of any payments or reimbursements made to an injured patient for that provider's services. The benefit provider must respond within 30 days of a written request from the provider. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it or it otherwise becomes law without his signature.
### What it does
- Creates a new Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 33-3-28.1) requiring benefit providers to disclose certain payment information to treating healthcare providers.
- Defines 'benefit provider' broadly to cover insurers, health maintenance organizations, preferred provider organizations, employee benefit plans, and similar entities that pay healthcare or disability benefits.
- Defines 'injured party' as someone claiming injury by a third party who has received payments from a benefit provider, including that person's estate representative.
- Requires a benefit provider to give a written accounting of payments or reimbursements made to an injured party within 30 days of a treating provider's written request.
- Sets the law to take effect immediately upon the Governor's signature or upon becoming law without his approval.
### Who it affects
Insurance companies, health maintenance organizations, preferred provider organizations, and employee benefit plans that pay healthcare or injury-related benefits; treating healthcare providers such as doctors, hospitals, and clinics; and patients injured by a third party who have filed claims or received benefit payments.
### Why it matters
Healthcare providers often struggle to confirm whether an injured patient's settlement or reimbursement already covered their bills, which can affect billing and collection decisions. This bill gives providers a formal, time-limited right to request that payment information directly from the benefit provider.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 adds new Code section 33-3-28.1, defining 'benefit provider,' 'injured party,' and 'treating healthcare provider.'
- Section 1(b) requires a benefit provider to respond to a treating healthcare provider's written request with a full accounting of payments or reimbursements to the injured party within 30 days.
- Section 2 sets the effective date as the date the Governor signs the bill or it becomes law without his signature.
- Section 3 repeals any conflicting Georgia laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-01-29)
- Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported (2026-02-19)
- Sponsors: Karen Mathiak, Lee Hawkins, Gerald Greene, Anissa Jones, Darlene Taylor
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69647
> The history, votes, and amendments (291 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb170.md?full=1