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HB291 • 2026

INSURANCE/HEALTH: Prohibits health insurers from taking adverse payment or contracting actions against participating facilities based solely on another provider's network status (EG1 INCREASE EX See Note)

INSURANCE/HEALTH: Prohibits health insurers from taking adverse payment or contracting actions against participating facilities based solely on another provider's network status (EG1 INCREASE EX See Note)

Healthcare
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Stephanie Berault
Last action
2026-05-29
Official status
Adopted in House concurrence
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details on the legal consequences for violating the bill's provisions, only that violations are considered unfair practices in insurance business.

Health Insurance Rules for Providers

This bill stops health insurance companies from reducing payments or ending agreements with healthcare facilities just because another provider involved in the patient's care is not part of their network.

What This Bill Does

  • Stops health insurers from reducing payments to healthcare facilities if another provider involved in the same care is not part of the insurer's network.
  • Prevents health insurers from suspending or ending agreements with participating providers based on other nonparticipating providers' status.
  • Makes sure that insurance companies cannot use contract clauses to avoid these rules.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Health insurers
  • Licensed healthcare facilities (hospitals, clinics)
  • Doctors and other providers

Terms To Know

Adverse actions
Actions like reducing payments or ending agreements that can harm a provider's relationship with an insurer.
Network status
Whether a healthcare provider is part of an insurance company’s list of approved providers.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if the insurer takes adverse actions for reasons other than network status.
  • It's unclear how this will affect existing contracts between insurers and healthcare facilities.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Filed

Plain English: The amendment to HB291 adds an exemption for the Office of Group Benefits and makes some technical changes.

  • Adds an exemption for the Office of Group Benefits from the provisions of the bill.
  • Makes unspecified technical changes.
  • The exact nature of the 'technical changes' is not specified in the amendment text.
Filed

Plain English: The amendment to HB291 agrees with the Senate's changes regarding health insurers and their actions against participating facilities based on another provider’s network status.

  • The House concurs in the Senate amendments to HB291, which aims to prevent health insurance companies from taking negative actions against healthcare providers solely because of another provider's network status.
  • The official amendment text does not provide specific details about the changes made by the Senate, only that the House agrees with them.
Filed

Plain English: The amendment adds a termination date to the bill's main provision, making it expire by the end of 2028.

  • Adds a new section that states the bill’s provisions will no longer be in effect after December 31, 2028.
  • The amendment does not provide details on what happens after the termination date or how the transition to the end of the provision's effectiveness will occur.
Adopted

Plain English: This amendment adds an exemption for the Office of Group Benefits from certain provisions in the bill.

  • Adds language at the end of line 14 on page 1 to exempt the Office of Group Benefits from specific parts of the bill.
  • The amendment text does not specify which exact provisions are being exempted for the Office of Group Benefits, so more details about what is excluded are unknown.
Draft

Plain English: This amendment adds an exemption for the Office of Group Benefits from certain provisions in the bill.

  • Adds language at the end of line 14 on page 1 to exempt the Office of Group Benefits from specific parts of the bill.
  • The amendment text does not specify which exact provisions are being exempted for the Office of Group Benefits, so it's unclear what specific actions or rules this exemption covers.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-29 H

    Read by title, roll called, yeas 98, nays 0, Senate amendments concurred in.

  2. 2026-05-27 H

    Scheduled for concurrence on 05/29/2026.

  3. 2026-05-26 H

    Received from the Senate with amendments.

  4. 2026-05-25 S

    Rules suspended. The amended bill was read by title, passed by a vote of 38 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  5. 2026-05-20 S

    Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.

  6. 2026-05-19 S

    Committee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  7. 2026-05-18 S

    Reported with amendments.

  8. 2026-04-29 S

    Read by title. Recommitted to the Committee on Finance.

  9. 2026-04-28 S

    Reported favorably.

  10. 2026-04-15 S

    Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Insurance.

  11. 2026-04-14 S

    Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.

  12. 2026-04-14 H

    Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 103, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  13. 2026-04-13 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 04/14/2026.

  14. 2026-04-09 H

    Read by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.

  15. 2026-04-08 H

    Reported favorably (13-0).

  16. 2026-03-09 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Insurance.

  17. 2026-02-27 H

    First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.

  18. 2026-02-24 H

    Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Insurance.

  19. 2026-02-24 H

    Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

INSURANCE/HEALTH: Prohibits health insurers from taking adverse payment or contracting actions against participating facilities based solely on another provider's network status (EG1 INCREASE EX See Note)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HLS 26RS-911 ENGROSSED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 291
BY REPRESENTATIVE BERAULT
INSURANCE/HEALTH: Prohibits health insurers from taking adverse payment or
contracting actions against participating facilities based solely on another provider's
network status
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 22:1828(D) and (E) and to enact R.S. 22:1828(F), relative to
3 health insurance; to provide for the payment of claims; to prohibit adverse actions
4 by insurers; to provide for an effective date; and to provide for related matters.
5 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
6 Section 1. R.S. 22:1828(D) and (E) are hereby amended and reenacted and R.S.
7 22:1828(F) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
8 §1828. Provider claim payment and information protection
9 * * *
10 D. A health insurance issuer shall not impose any monetary reductions in the
11 payment of claims, or suspend or terminate a provider agreement, with respect to any
12 licensed healthcare facility that is a participating provider based solely on the
13 network or participating status of another healthcare provider that contributes to any
14 component of care to a patient at the licensed healthcare facility.
15 D. E. The provisions of this Section shall not be waived by contract, and any
16 contractual clause in conflict with the provisions of this Section or that purport to
17 waive the requirements of this Section is void.
18 E. F. Any violation of the provisions of this Section shall be declared and
19 considered to be unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or
Page 1 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-911 ENGROSSED
HB NO. 291
1 practices in the business of insurance and subject to the provisions of Part IV of
2 Chapter 7 of this Title.
3 Section 2. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
4 signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
5 by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
6 vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
7 effective on the day following such approval.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 291 Engrossed 2026 Regular Session Berault
Abstract: Prohibits a health insurance issuer from reducing payments, suspending, or
terminating provider agreements with a participating licensed health care facility
solely on the basis that another provider engaged in the patient's care as a
nonparticipating provider.
Present law sets requirements for the payment of provider claims and prohibits contractual
waivers of present law. Present law provides that violations constitute unfair or deceptive
acts or practices in the business of insurance.
Proposed law prohibits a health insurance issuer from reducing payments to a participating
licensed healthcare facility or from suspending or terminating a provider agreement with the
facility solely because another healthcare provider involved in the patient's care is a
nonparticipating provider.
Proposed law retains present law prohibiting any contractual provision that waives the
statutory requirements governing provider claim payments.
Proposed law retains present law that violations constitute unfair or deceptive acts or
practices in the business of insurance.
Effective upon signature of governor or lapse of time for gubernatorial action.
(Amends R.S. 22:1828(D) and (E); Adds R.S. 22:1828(F))
Page 2 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.