Georgia CommonsSenate · Passed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
SB 503: Insurance; rental home marketplace guarantees from the definition of property insurance; exempt
Last action May 11, 2026 · Act 516
Senate Bill 503 would require Georgia's health plans for state employees, public school teachers and University System employees to cover medically necessary orthotic and prosthetic devices starting in 2027, but only if lawmakers set aside money to pay for it.
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 Enrolled version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Georgia law already requires many health insurance plans to cover medically necessary orthotic devices (braces and other supportive equipment) and prosthetic devices (artificial limbs and similar equipment) along with their parts. But the current law specifically excludes health plans covering state employees and Medicaid managed care contracts from that coverage mandate. Senate Bill 503 rewrites that definition in Georgia's insurance code (O.C.G.A. § 33-24-59.35). Starting January 1, 2027, the orthotic and prosthetic device coverage requirement would extend to health plans covering state employees, public school teachers and employees, and members, employees, and retirees of the University System's Board of Regents. The old carve-out for Medicaid contracts is removed from the law entirely. The change would only take effect if the General Assembly specifically appropriates funding for it in a budget bill, and it would start on the later of that budget law's effective date or the start of the funded fiscal year.
What the bill does
- Rewrites the definition of 'health benefit policy' in Georgia's orthotic and prosthetic device coverage law (O.C.G.A. § 33-24-59.35) to add state employee, teacher, and Board of Regents health plans starting January 1, 2027.
- Removes the current exclusion that keeps the State Health Benefit Plan and similar state-run plans outside the mandatory device coverage requirement.
- Removes the separate exclusion for healthcare services provided under Medicaid managed care contracts with the Department of Community Health.
- Keeps an exclusion for self-funded, employer-sponsored health plans governed by the federal ERISA law.
- Makes the whole change contingent: it only takes effect if the General Assembly appropriates specific funding for it in a budget act.
Who it affects
State employees, public school teachers and staff, and University System of Georgia (Board of Regents) employees and retirees who get health coverage through state-run plans, along with people who use medically necessary orthotic or prosthetic devices. The Department of Community Health and Georgia's health insurers are also affected.
Why it matters
If funded, state employees, teachers, and university system workers would gain a guaranteed right to insurance coverage for braces, artificial limbs, and similar medically necessary devices, coverage they currently are not guaranteed under this specific state law. Whether it happens at all depends on a future budget appropriation.
Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 33-24-59.35(a)(3), changing when the orthotic and prosthetic device coverage mandate does and does not apply to state-run health plans.
- Section 1 adds state employees, public school teachers and employees, and Board of Regents members, employees, retirees, and dependents to the plans covered starting January 1, 2027.
- Section 1 deletes the prior exclusion for Medicaid managed care contracts with the Department of Community Health, removing that carve-out from the law.
- Section 1 preserves the exclusion for self-funded, employer-sponsored plans regulated exclusively under the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA).
- Section 2 makes the entire Act effective only if the General Assembly specifically appropriates funds for it, starting on the later of the appropriations act's effective date or the start of the funded fiscal year.
From the bill
“This Act shall become effective only if funds are specifically appropriated for purposes of this Act in an appropriations Act enacted by the General Assembly.”
Discussed in meetings (14)
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, February 19, 2026
From 0:21:11 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair postponed consideration until the following week because some people needed for the discussion were unable to attend. The committee did not discuss the bill’s substance or vote on it.
Senate Insurance and Labor Committee, February 24, 2026
From 0:18:34 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor described the bill as consumer protection for homeowners using rental marketplaces: a property-damage guarantee would have an insurance policy behind it if the marketplace failed to pay. A witness for Airbnb said the bill would establish that these guarantees are not property insurance, require insurance backing and disclosures, and give the insurance commissioner rulemaking authority. The witness said 24 states already had language that could cover this exemption. Members questioned whether excluding guarantees from insurance regulation would weaken protections, how claims would be funded and what oversight would apply. The witness said Airbnb already offers the guarantee, with a $3 million limit, pays claims from company funds and includes the cost in its overall pricing. The witness said payments reflect the damaged property's current value rather than necessarily replacing it with the same item. The sponsor and witness said the guarantee would not replace homeowners or liability insurance. They said the backing insurer would be regulated, with different arrangements for insurers authorized in Georgia and surplus-lines insurers. Members voted to advance the substitute. The acting chair announced six votes in favor and two opposed, but subsequent comments questioned the count and voting eligibility, leaving the final tally unclear.
Senate Rules Committee, March 3, 2026
From 0:27:54 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: Earlier in the meeting, a presenter described a rental-home proposal without naming its number. The presenter said rental platforms currently guaranteed property damage and that the proposal would require insurance and financial backing for damage during rentals. Members later selected SB 503 for the calendar as part of the approved slate. No substantive questions were asked.
Senate floor session, March 4, 2026 (legislative day 27)
From 2:17:38 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Third Read)
Summary by Georgia Commons: The clerk described the committee substitute for SB 503 as exempting rental-home marketplace guarantees from the definition of property insurance. The sponsor said rental platforms would have to back their property-damage guarantees with insurance. Asked who would carry the additional coverage, the sponsor said the vendor, not the homeowner. Asked about existing problems and rental costs, the sponsor said there had been issues with guarantees, called the expected fee small and acknowledged having no fiscal note. Another senator opposed the bill, saying marketplace guarantees would not receive the same oversight as ordinary property insurance and that the oversight language was insufficient. The Senate adopted the committee substitute and passed it 42-11.
House Insurance Committee, March 20, 2026
From 0:57:22 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 503 would require insurance backing for rental-home marketplaces’ property-damage guarantees, not liability coverage. The sponsor said ordinary homeowners insurance often excludes business rentals and that 14 states had adopted this approach. An Airbnb witness said the proposal followed model legislation developed with insurance-industry and regulator input. The witness said guarantees compensate hosts when renters fail to pay for damage, avoiding the need for hosts to pursue renters or file homeowners claims. Asked who pays, the sponsor said the marketplace would bear the insurance cost; the Airbnb witness said the existing guarantee was included in overall costs without an additional charge. Members questioned consumer understanding, enforcement and whether smaller companies could obtain coverage. The sponsor said rental contracts explain guarantees and the insurance commissioner would handle oversight. The Airbnb witness said the commissioner could issue regulations and investigate violations, and described reimbursement insurance as readily available. A committee member said the substitute also included HB 1344, HB 1274, HB 1262 and HB 1263. The committee adopted the same local-government premium-tax reporting amendment used on SB 462 and approved the amended bill by voice vote, with no count stated.
House Rules Committee, March 25, 2026
From 0:41:36 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed SB 503 on the day's calendar without objection after a motion and second. There was no discussion of the bill's contents.
House floor session, March 25, 2026 (legislative day 37, PM)
From 2:00:35 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 3174
Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter said the committee substitute would put protections for short-term rental homeowners into law, using a National Conference on Insurance Legislators model and practices used by Airbnb and Vrbo. The clerk described the underlying provision as excluding rental home marketplace guarantees from property insurance. The presenter said the remaining sections included insurance affordability measures previously passed by the House, with about 95% also moving through HB 1344 in the Senate. The presenter described the package as a way to preserve those measures while negotiations continued, and said it also included judicial security provisions. A member asked how the combined legislation would help homeowners recover from damage. The presenter said it sought fairer claims handling and lower costs. Asked about mental health parity, the presenter said the bill increased fines for mental health parity and surprise billing violations and expanded general fine authority. The House adopted the committee substitute and passed the bill, 165-2.
Senate floor session, March 31, 2026 (legislative day 39, part 2)
From 4:16:40 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub As Amended)
Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter offered an amendment replacing the House insurance provisions with coverage requirements for medically necessary prosthetic and orthotic devices under state health plans. The presenter said earlier legislation required private insurance to provide such coverage, and this change would extend comparable access to state employees. The presenter emphasized that the requirement would take effect when funded through appropriations. No substantive questions or opposition followed. The Senate agreed to the House substitute as amended, 50 to 0.
House floor session, April 2, 2026 (legislative day 40, PM, part 1)
From 3:18:15 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub)
Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter said SB 503 had been rewritten to address orthotic and prosthetic coverage rather than property insurance. The presenter described allowing three additional prostheses every three years with a doctor's approval, including devices for showering or exercise, and including the state health plan and Board of Regents coverage. Several members sought clarification because the documents included earlier property insurance language. The presenter and presiding chair repeatedly confirmed that the property insurance provisions had been removed and that amendment AM490330 contained only the prosthetic coverage language. A second member said the earlier insurance provisions had already passed elsewhere. After clarifying the motion and documents, the House agreed to the Senate amendment to the House substitute, 160 to 6.
- Read aloud: Senate floor session, February 17, 2026 (legislative day 19), 0:30:22
- Read aloud: Senate floor session, February 25, 2026 (legislative day 24), 0:33:30
- Read aloud: Senate floor session, February 26, 2026 (legislative day 25), 0:29:15
- Read aloud: House floor session, March 6, 2026 (legislative day 28, AM), 0:54:00
- Read aloud: House floor session, March 9, 2026 (legislative day 29), 1:10:19
Status timeline
- Act 516
- Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
- Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
- House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub (House)
- Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub As Amended (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
Show full history (16 actions)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
- Senate Third Read (Senate)
- Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Marty Harbin (R, SD-16)
- Larry Walker, III (R, SD-20)
- Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-31)
- Randy Robertson (R, SD-29)
- Shawn Still (R, SD-48)
- RaShaun Kemp (D, SD-38)
- Chuck Hufstetler (R, SD-52)
- Rick Williams (R, SD-25)
- Matt Reeves (R, HD-99)
Votes
- Senate voteMarch 4, 2026
42 yea, 11 nay (2 not voting, 0 excused)
- House voteMarch 25, 2026
165 yea, 2 nay (1 not voting, 8 excused)
- Senate voteMarch 31, 2026
50 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 3 excused)
- House voteApril 2, 2026
160 yea, 6 nay (5 not voting, 5 excused)
Topics
- health insurance mandates
- state employee benefits
- prosthetic and orthotic coverage
- teacher health benefits
- Medicaid