Health Care

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on enforcement or penalties for non-compliance.

Maternal Health Care Protection Act

This bill updates Tennessee's health care laws to clarify that healthcare providers must offer pregnancy-related medical services within their professional duties and cannot refuse based on personal beliefs.

What This Bill Does

• Clarifies that healthcare providers must provide pregnancy-related medical services within the scope of their license and professional obligations, even if it goes against their personal beliefs.
• Prevents healthcare institutions and insurance companies from creating policies that deny pregnancy-related care due to a provider's conscience rights.

Who It Names or Affects

• Healthcare providers who offer medical services to pregnant patients.
• Insurance companies that cover pregnancy-related medical expenses.
• Hospitals and clinics providing pregnancy-related healthcare.

Terms To Know

Pregnancy-related healthcare procedures, treatments, or services

Medical care provided during pregnancy including emergency treatment, diagnosis of conditions, preventive health measures, and standard prenatal and postnatal care.

Healthcare provider

Doctors, nurses, hospitals, clinics, and other medical professionals who provide healthcare services.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if a healthcare provider refuses to follow these rules.
• It is unclear how this law will be enforced or what penalties might apply for non-compliance.

Official Summary Text

Present law
prohibits
a healthcare provider
from
be
ing
required to participate in or pay for a healthcare procedure, treatment, or service that violates the conscience of the healthcare provider. The right is limited to a particular healthcare procedure, treatment, or service, and does not waive or modify a
ny duty a healthcare provider may have to provide or pay for healthcare procedures, treatments, or services that do not violate the healthcare provider's conscience; and does not
authorize
a healthcare
payer to decline payment for a healthcare procedure, treatment, or service it is contractually obligated to pay for under the terms of a contract with an insured party.

This bill clarifies that the right also does not
authorize
a healthcare provider to refuse to participate in or pay for pregnancy-related healthcare procedures, treatments, or services that are within the scope of the healthcare provider's license and professional obligations; and does not
authorize
a healthcare institution or healthcare payer to adopt or enforce a policy, guideline, or contractual provision that results in the denial of pregnancy-related healthcare procedures, treatments, or services base
d on the exercise of the right.

As used in this bill, "p
regnancy-related healthcare procedures, treatments, or services" mean healthcare procedures, treatments, or services provided to a pregnant patient, which includes:



Emergency medical care.


Diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of pregnancy-related conditions or complications.


Care necessary to prevent serious risk to the pregnant patient's life or health.


Standard obstetric, gynecological, prenatal, perinatal, and postpartum care.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 2523
By Behn

SENATE BILL 2510
By Oliver
SB2510
012735
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 63,
Chapter 1, Part 9, relative to health care for
pregnant patients.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. This act is known and may be cited as the "Maternal Health Care
Protection Act."
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-1-903(a), is amended by deleting
"and" at the end of subdivision (a)(2)(A), deleting the period at the end of subdivision (a)(2)(B),
and substituting instead a semicolon, and adding the following as new subdivisions:
(C) Does not permit a healthcare provider to refuse to participate in or pay for
pregnancy-related healthcare procedures, treatments, or services that are within the
scope of the healthcare provider's license and professional obligations; and
(D) Does not permit a healthcare institution or healthcare payer to adopt or
enforce a policy, guideline, or contractual provision that results in the denial of
pregnancy-related healthcare procedures, treatments, or services based on the exercise
of the right described in this subsection (a).
SECTION 3. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 63-1-902, is amended by adding the
following as new, appropriately designated subdivisions:
( ) "Pregnancy-related healthcare procedures, treatments, or services":
(A) Means healthcare procedures, treatments, or services provided to a
pregnant patient; and
(B) Includes, but is not limited to:
(i) Emergency medical care;

- 2 - 012735

(ii) Diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of pregnancy-related
conditions or complications;
(iii) Care necessary to prevent serious risk to the pregnant
patient's life or health; and
(iv) Standard obstetric, gynecological, prenatal, perinatal, and
postpartum care;
( ) "Pregnant patient" means an individual who is pregnant or who is reasonably
believed to be pregnant, regardless of gestational age or pregnancy outcome;
SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.