AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 33; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68, Chapter 11 and Title 71, relative to health insurance.
Summary
HB0511 requires certain healthcare providers and related entities that are contracted with one or more health insurance entities to notify those insurers as soon as practicable if the provider or entity is the subject of a cyber-attack. The notice obligation applies broadly to healthcare providers, groups, practices, clinics, healthcare facilities, and other entities that submit claims for reimbursement for healthcare or healthcare-related goods and services.
The bill is a targeted cybersecurity and insurance-notification measure within the health care sector. It does not create a new reporting regime to the state or set detailed procedures for the notice, but it does impose a direct duty on covered providers and entities to alert their insurance partners promptly after a cyber incident. The act would take effect immediately upon becoming law.
Impact
HB0511 would amend Tennessee Code Annotated Title 56, Chapter 7, Part 10 by adding a new section requiring prompt notice to health insurance entities when a contracted healthcare provider or related entity experiences a cyber-attack. The practical effect is to create a statutory notification duty for covered healthcare organizations and clinics, potentially affecting contract administration, incident response, and insurer risk management in the health care and health insurance sectors.
Sentiment
No committee transcripts or recorded votes are provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate, support, or opposition in the available record. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears narrowly tailored and administrative in nature, suggesting it may have been intended as a straightforward consumer- and insurer-protection measure rather than a controversial policy change.
Contention
Because there are no transcripts, votes, or amendments in the provided materials, no specific points of contention can be identified from the legislative record. Any potential concerns would likely center on the scope of the notice requirement, the meaning of “as soon as practicable,” and how the rule would interact with existing cybersecurity, privacy, and breach-notification obligations for healthcare entities.