Alfa health insurance bill gets several changes in Alabama House committee
Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook, speaks to a colleague on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on Feb. 11, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector)
An Alabama House committee advanced a bill allowing the state's dominant agricultural organization to offer its members health benefit plans but not before making several changes to the legislation.
HB 477, sponsored by Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook, would allow a nonprofit agricultural organization — fitting the description of the Alabama Farmers Federation (Alfa) — to provide health plan options not subject to state insurance regulations.
The bill was the subject of a tense public hearing last week in which farmers' economic fears were pitted against consumer protection concerns. Faulkner told the House Health Committee Tuesday that he had agreed to changes to move the bill forward.
'I think the bill, as is before you, is in great shape, and I don't think it needs any amendments,' he said. 'But still, to address concerns, like we've done, we are going to have some amendments today.
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Lawmakers introduced eight amendments. A ninth amendment that would have limited who could be denied coverage based on a pre-existing condition was not considered after Faulkner said 'it would kill the bill.'
Of the eight amendments, six passed, including one of which Faulkner considered 'not friendly.'
That amendment, offered by Rep. Frances Holk-Jones, R-Foley, added a line stating that the Alabama Department of Insurance would enforce the legislation passed. Holk-Jones did not explain the amendment to Faulkner, who claimed he did not understand it, but she said in the public hearing last week that as a career insurance professional, she wanted to be sure that the organization's plans were explicitly stated in law, instead of an expectation it would be included in the contract.
Faulkner objected to the amendment.
'This is too vague for me to understand and what that means, and I don't know that the Department of Insurance would know what that allows them to do or they can do,' Faulkner said.
Another amendment by Holk-Jones, which Faulkner considered 'friendly,' requires insurance agents and brokers to be licensed by Alabama, a concern she also shared during last week's public hearing.
Rep. Bryan Brinyark, R-Windham Springs, offered an amendment that prohibits the nonprofit agricultural organization from increasing premiums if a policyholder utilizes their health benefit plan.
'I hope we're getting a better product for the members. That's what I care about. I want to make sure that the people in my district are getting the best plan that they can get under this bill,' Brinyark said.
Faulkner said that he wanted to 'just echo [Brinyark's] comments' and said that had been the intent.
'I just wanted to say because I agree with your comments, and what we've said is that once you're covered on this plan, you're not going to be canceled or your premium raised based on an individual health condition,' Faulkner said.
Rep. Jeff Sorrells, R-Hartford, offered an amendment that shifted the premium tax from the Department of Revenue to the Department of Insurance. An amendment by Rep. Mark Shirey, R-Mobile, requires the organization providing the health plan to cover some of the out-of-network costs of emergency care.
An amendment by Rep. Neil Rafferty, D-Birmingham, also passed, requiring the health plan to include mental health and substance misuse care, as well as prescription drugs to covered benefits.
'I think I don't have to go into too much elaborate details on why this is crucial and important for all people in the state,' Rafferty said.
Another amendment from Holk-Jones that would have required the nonprofit agricultural organization to submit an annual report on the number of people it covers failed after Faulkner called it 'unnecessary.' Another amendment by Rep. Pebblin Warren, D-Tuskegee, would have prohibited the organization from adding or amending annual or lifetime limits without notice, but Faulkner said he could not accept that.
'It doesn't mean I'm not willing to continue to talk and work on this. We have been working on this even today, and so I would ask for the committee not to pass this at this time, because I do believe it's dealing with something that is highly unlikely to ever happen,' Faulkner said.
Holk-Jones pushed back, saying that 'if you're not planning on, if it's highly unlikely, then it shouldn't be a problem.'
'All I think Rep. Warren is asking for is the highly unlikely possibility that this is done, that the amendment would say that there would be a 60-day notice,' Holk-Jones said.
Faulkner said after the committee meeting that he expects the House to consider the bill on Thursday.
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