Employees, Employers

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Insurance Coverage for Pregnant Employees

This bill requires employers to continue paying for health insurance coverage of a pregnant employee who is terminated from employment until their pregnancy ends.

What This Bill Does

• Requires employers to keep paying for the health insurance of a pregnant employee who is let go from work, as long as the employer knows about the pregnancy and the employee was covered before being fired.
• Forbids health insurers from ending coverage based on an employer's request unless they get proof that the former employee has signed a statement saying their pregnancy ended.
• Requires terminated pregnant employees to inform their former employers within 30 days after their pregnancy ends, either by childbirth or otherwise.
• Allows employers to sue former employees who do not follow this rule and cause extra costs for continued health insurance coverage.

Who It Names or Affects

• Pregnant employees who are fired or laid off from work.
• Employers of pregnant employees.
• Health insurers providing employer-sponsored health plans.

Terms To Know

Employee

A person working for an employer and receiving compensation in return.

Employer

An entity that hires employees to perform services and pays them for their work.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill did not pass the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee.
• It is unclear how much it will cost employers or insurers to extend coverage beyond termination dates.

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

HOUSE BILL 827
By Glynn

SENATE BILL 190
By Lamar

SB0190
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.