Employees, Employers

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not explicitly mention suing former employees, but it allows employers to recover costs through legal action if required notifications are not provided.

Insurance Coverage for Pregnant Employees

This bill requires employers to continue health insurance coverage for pregnant employees who are terminated and allows insurers to keep providing this coverage until certain conditions are met.

What This Bill Does

• Requires an employer to continue paying their share of the cost for a former employee's health insurance if they know the employee is pregnant when fired.
• Forbids employers from requesting that health insurers terminate coverage for terminated employees who were known to be pregnant, unless accompanied by proof that the employee has signed and returned a statement about their pregnancy ending.
• Requires employees whose employment ends while pregnant to notify their employer within 30 days after their pregnancy ends with a written statement.

Who It Names or Affects

• Employers who terminate pregnant employees
• Health insurers providing coverage under employer-sponsored plans
• Employees who are terminated while pregnant

Terms To Know

Employee

A person working for an employer in exchange for compensation.

Employer

An entity that hires employees and provides them with compensation.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify the exact costs or fiscal impacts on employers or insurers.
• It is unclear how this will affect self-employed independent contractors.

Official Summary Text

On and after July 1, 2025,
if an employer terminates the employment of an employee who is known to the employer to be pregnant, and such employee was covered by an employer-sponsored h
ealth benefit plan prior to termination, then
this bill prohibits the employer from (i) stopping
payment to the health insurer of the employer's share of the cost to provide coverage of the former employee under the employer-sponsored health benefit plan
o
r (ii) requesting
that the health insurer that issued the employer-sponsored health benefit plan terminate the employee's coverage until the employer has received a signed written statement pursuant to
this bill.

This bill prohibits a health insurer fro
m terminating the
former employee's coverage under the employer-sponsored health benefit plan based upon a request from the employer unless such request is accompanied by proof of the employer's receipt of the former employee's signed written statement des
cribed in
this bill.

REQUIRED STATEMENT

This bill requires an
employee whose employment is terminated while the employee is pregnant and covered under an employer-sponsored health benefit plan
to
, within 30 days after the date the employee's pregnancy
ends in childbirth or otherwise, notify the employer using a signed written statement indicating the date the pregnancy ended. The signed written statement may be submitted by electronic means.

If a former employee fails to notify the employer of the en
d of the employee's pregnancy, then
this bill authorizes the
employer
to
bring an action in a court of competent jurisdiction to recover the employer's costs to maintain continued coverage of the former employee under the employer-sponsored health benefit
plan from the date of termination of employment.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 190
By Lamar

HOUSE BILL 827
By Glynn

HB0827
000614
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 8,
Chapter 27; Title 50; Title 56 and Title 71, relative
to insurance coverage of pregnant employees.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 50, Chapter 1, Part 3, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) As used in this section:
(1) "Employee" means a natural person who performs services for an
employer for valuable consideration, and does not include a self-employed
independent contractor;
(2) "Employer" means a person, association, or legal or commercial
entity receiving services from an employee and, in return, giving compensation of
any kind to such employee;
(3) "Health benefit plan" means health insurance coverage as defined in
§ 56-7-109; and
(4) "Health insurer" means a health insurance entity as defined in § 56-7-
109.
(b) On and after July 1, 2025, if an employer terminates the employment of an
employee who is known to the employer to be pregnant, and such employee was
covered by an employer-sponsored health benefit plan prior to termination, then:
(1) The employer shall not:

- 2 - 000614

(A) Stop payment to the health insurer of the employer's share of
the cost to provide coverage of the former employee under the employer-
sponsored health benefit plan; or
(B) Request that the health insurer that issued the employer-
sponsored health benefit plan terminate the employee's coverage until the
employer has received a signed written statement pursuant to subdivision
(c)(1); and
(2) A health insurer shall not terminate the former employee's coverage
under the employer-sponsored health benefit plan based upon a request from the
employer unless such request is accompanied by proof of the employer's receipt
of the former employee's signed written statement described in subdivision (c)(1).
(c)
(1) An employee whose employment is terminated while the employee is
pregnant and covered under an employer-sponsored health benefit plan shall,
within thirty (30) days after the date the employee's pregnancy ends in childbirth
or otherwise, notify the employer using a signed written statement indicating the
date the pregnancy ended. The signed written statement may be submitted by
electronic means.
(2) If a former employee fails to notify the employer of the end of the
employee's pregnancy as required by subdivision (c)(1), then an employer may
bring an action in a court of competent jurisdiction to recover the employer's
costs to maintain continued coverage of the former employee under the
employer-sponsored health benefit plan from the date of termination of
employment.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.