---
title: HB 951. Insurance; require health benefit policy coverage for medically necessary orthotic and prosthetic devices and their materials and components
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb951
cite_as: HB 951, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb951
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb951.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb951/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72176
date: 2026-03-09
status: engrossed
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: 464
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb951.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 951
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-03-06
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
- David Clark
- Karen Mathiak
- Deborah Silcox
- Trey Kelley
- Kim Schofield
- Steven Sainz
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB951/2025
upstream_id: 2074006
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- health insurance coverage
- prosthetic devices
- state employee benefits
- teacher health benefits
- Medicaid
---
# HB 951. Insurance; require health benefit policy coverage for medically necessary orthotic and prosthetic devices and their materials and components
## Text
House Bill 951
By: Representatives Clark of the 100th, Mathiak of the 82nd, Silcox of the 53rd, Kelley of the
16th, Schofield of the 63rd, and others
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 benefit plans, policies, or contracts executed by
the state to cover medically necessary orthotic devices and prosthetic devices and their
materials and components; to revise a definition; 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 Code Section 33-24-59.35, relating to required coverage orthotic
devices and prosthetic devices, reporting, and regulation, by revising paragraph (3) of
subsection (a) as follows:
"(3) 'Health benefit policy' means any individual or group plan, policy, or contract for
healthcare services issued, delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in this state by an
insurer that provides major medical benefits. Such On or after January 1, 2027, such term
shall not include any plans, policies, or contracts executed by the state to provide
healthcare coverage on behalf of state employees, public school teachers and employees,
and members and employees of the Board of Regents and their retirees and dependents
under Article 1 of Chapter 18 of Title 45, and shall not apply to the provision of
healthcare services pursuant to a contract entered into by an insurer and the Department
of Community Health for recipients of Medicaid. Such term shall not include
self-funded, employer sponsored health insurance plans subject to the exclusive
jurisdiction of the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as codified
and amended at 29 U.S.C. Section 1001, et seq."
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.
House Bill 951 would require Georgia's state employee health plan, teacher health plan, and Board of Regents health plans to cover medically necessary orthotic and prosthetic devices starting January 1, 2027.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia law already requires many health insurance policies to cover medically necessary orthotic devices (braces and other devices that support or correct body parts) and prosthetic devices (artificial limbs), along with their materials and components, under O.C.G.A. § 33-24-59.35. But that law currently exempts health plans the state itself runs for state employees, and it also exempts Medicaid contracts between insurers and the Department of Community Health.
House Bill 951 changes the definition of 'health benefit policy' in that law so it now includes plans the state provides for state employees, public school teachers and employees, and members, employees, retirees, and dependents covered through the Board of Regents (which oversees Georgia's public colleges and universities). The bill also removes the separate exclusion for Medicaid managed care contracts. These changes take effect January 1, 2027. Self-funded employer health plans governed by the federal ERISA law remain excluded, since state law cannot regulate those plans.
### What it does
- Removes the current exclusion that lets the State Health Benefit Plan skip covering orthotic and prosthetic devices, effective January 1, 2027.
- Adds public school teachers and employees, and Board of Regents members, employees, retirees, and dependents, to the group whose coverage must include these devices.
- Deletes the separate exclusion for Medicaid managed care contracts between insurers and the Department of Community Health, removing that carve-out from the definition.
- Keeps the existing exclusion for self-funded employer health plans regulated under the federal ERISA law, since the state cannot mandate coverage for those plans.
- Sets the effective date of the overall Act as the date the Governor signs it, while the coverage change itself only applies starting January 1, 2027.
### Who it affects
State employees, public school teachers and staff, and Board of Regents employees, retirees, and dependents who get health coverage through state-run plans; people who need orthotic or prosthetic devices; the Department of Community Health, which administers Medicaid contracts; and insurers that issue these health benefit policies in Georgia.
### Why it matters
State employees, teachers, and university system staff currently are not guaranteed coverage for medically necessary braces or artificial limbs under this specific mandate. Once this takes effect in 2027, their state-run health plans would have to cover these devices, similar to many private insurance policies already do.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 amends paragraph (3) of subsection (a) of O.C.G.A. § 33-24-59.35 to redefine 'health benefit policy'.
- The revised definition states that, on or after January 1, 2027, the term includes plans the state provides for state employees, public school teachers and employees, and Board of Regents members, employees, retirees, and dependents.
- The amendment deletes prior language that excluded Medicaid contracts between insurers and the Department of Community Health from the definition.
- The exclusion for self-funded, employer-sponsored plans covered by the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) remains unchanged.
- Section 2 makes the Act effective upon the Governor's signature or upon it becoming law without signature.
- Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Engrossed (2026-03-06)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-03-09)
- Sponsors: David Clark, Karen Mathiak, Deborah Silcox, Trey Kelley, Kim Schofield, Steven Sainz
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72176
> The history, votes, and amendments (464 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb951.md?full=1