health insurance; private employers; coverage

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Health Insurance for Private Employers

This bill allows private employers and individuals who are not employed by the state to join Arizona's health care plans.

What This Bill Does

• Allows private employers to offer their employees access to the state’s health care plan.
• Permits individuals who are not state workers to use the state’s health care plan.
• Gives the Department of Administration permission to create rules for joining the state's health care plan.

Who It Names or Affects

• Private employers in Arizona
• Individuals who work for private companies and are not employed by the state

Terms To Know

Natural persons

Regular people, not businesses or other organizations.

State health care plan

A health insurance program provided by the Arizona government for its employees and now extended to private employers and individuals.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how much it will cost or who pays for the expanded coverage.
• It is unclear what rules the Department of Administration will create to implement this change.

Official Summary Text

SB1296 - health insurance; private employers; coverage

Current Bill Text

SB1296 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
health insurance; private employers; coverage

State of Arizona

Senate

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

SB 1296

Introduced by

Senators
Fernandez: Alston, Diaz, Epstein, Sears, Sundareshan

AN
ACT

amending title 38, chapter 4, article 4,
arizona revised statutes, by adding section 38-659; relating to
compensation and insurance.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 38, chapter 4, article 4,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 38-659, to read:

START_STATUTE
38-659.

Private employers; natural persons; state health care plan; rules

A. Private employers and natural
persons who are not employed by this state may participate in this state's
health care plans.

B. The department of administration
may adopt rules to implement this section.
END_STATUTE