Georgia CommonsHouse · Engrossed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 323: Bridging the Gap for ALS and Chronic Kidney Disease Act of 2025; enact
Last action March 31, 2026 · Senate Tabled
A Georgia Senate substitute for HB 323 would require insurers and other benefit providers to give treating healthcare providers a written accounting of payments made to injured patients, within 30 days of a request.
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 the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Currently, when a patient (called an 'injured party' in this bill) receives payments or reimbursements from an insurer or other benefit provider after being hurt by someone else's actions, the healthcare provider who treated them may not easily learn what the benefit provider actually paid the patient for that treatment. This bill adds a new section to Georgia's insurance code (O.C.G.A. Title 33, Chapter 3) to fix that gap. The bill defines 'benefit provider' broadly to include insurers, health maintenance organizations, health benefit plans, preferred provider organizations, and employee benefit plans that pay for healthcare expenses, disability, or lost wages. It defines 'injured party' as someone who says they were hurt by another party's acts and who received payments from a benefit provider, including that person's estate representative. Once a treating healthcare provider sends a written request, the benefit provider has 30 days to give a written accounting of all payments and reimbursements made to the injured party for that provider's services. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it, or automatically becomes law without his signature.
What the bill does
- Adds a new Georgia Code section (33-3-28.1) requiring benefit providers to disclose payment information to treating healthcare providers on request.
- Defines 'benefit provider' to include insurers, HMOs, health benefit plans, preferred provider organizations, and employee benefit plans that pay healthcare, disability, or lost wage benefits.
- Defines 'injured party' as a person claiming injury by a third party who has received payments from a benefit provider, including that person's estate representative.
- Sets a 30 day deadline for a benefit provider to send a written accounting of payments and reimbursements after a treating healthcare provider requests it in writing.
- Repeals any existing Georgia laws that conflict with this new disclosure requirement.
Who it affects
Insurers, health maintenance organizations, health benefit plans, preferred provider organizations, and employee benefit plans that pay healthcare or injury-related benefits; treating healthcare providers who bill for services given to injured patients; and patients (or their estates) who have filed claims after being injured by someone else.
Why it matters
Healthcare providers often struggle to confirm whether an injured patient's insurer or benefit plan already paid for treatment, which can complicate billing and payment disputes, especially in personal injury cases. This bill would give providers a legal right to get that payment information directly from the benefit provider within a set timeframe.
Key provisions
- Section 1 adds new Code section 33-3-28.1 to Title 33, Chapter 3 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, which governs insurance transactions.
- Subsection (a) defines 'benefit provider,' 'injured party,' and 'treating healthcare provider' for purposes of the new disclosure requirement.
- Subsection (b) requires a benefit provider to give a treating healthcare provider a written accounting of all payments and reimbursements made to an injured party for that provider's services, within 30 days of a written request.
- Section 2 sets the effective date as the date the Governor signs the bill, or the date it becomes law without his signature.
- Section 3 repeals any Georgia laws that conflict with the new requirement.
From the bill
“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.”
Discussed in meetings (5)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
Senate Insurance and Labor Committee, March 19, 2026
From 0:21:17 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor presented a substitute that would let providers request disclosure of insurance payments for patients they treat. The sponsor said the goal was to ensure that providers and patients receive matching explanations of benefits, noting that those statements sometimes differ. The chair asked whether uncertainty about carrier payments made it difficult for providers to determine what to bill patients or write off, and the sponsor agreed. The sponsor also said the insurance commissioner’s office was comfortable with the proposal. The committee unanimously approved the substitute.
Senate Rules Committee, March 25, 2026
From 0:34:24 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter said HB 323 had been changed from a kidney-related measure to an insurance transparency and accountability bill. The presenter said it would allow physicians to request an explanation of benefits to compare with what they had received. No substantive questions or action followed.
Senate Rules Committee, March 30, 2026
From 2:34:03 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: After lunch, the chair added HB 323 as a measure missed in the earlier selections. A member later nominated it, describing it as improving transparency in physician billing, and other speakers clarified that it was already selected. No further provisions were explained. The committee unanimously approved the calendar containing it.
Status timeline
- Senate Tabled (Senate)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
Show full history (10 actions)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Karen Mathiak (R, HD-82)
- Lee Hawkins (R, HD-27)
- Mark Newton (R, HD-127)
- Katie Dempsey (R, HD-13)
- Sharon Cooper (R, HD-45)
- Mack Jackson (D, HD-128)
- Randy Robertson (R, SD-29)
Votes
- House voteMarch 6, 2025
174 yea, 2 nay (1 not voting, 3 excused)
- Senate voteMarch 31, 2026
39 yea, 10 nay (2 not voting, 3 excused)
Topics
- health insurance
- medical billing
- healthcare providers
- personal injury claims
- insurance regulation