Tennessee House Bill HB1179

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/6/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 4, Chapter 3; Title 10, Chapter 7, Part 5; Title 53; Title 56; Title 63; Title 68 and Title 71, relative to insurance benefits for pharmacy.

Summary

HB1179 makes a narrow change to Tennessee’s pharmacy insurance benefit law by extending a statutory time period from two weeks to three weeks. The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Section 56-7-3103(a)(1), which is part of the state’s insurance rules governing pharmacy benefits, and does not otherwise alter the broader structure of the law. The bill is set to take effect on January 1, 2026. Based on the text provided, its practical effect is to give the affected pharmacy insurance process an additional week within the existing statutory timeline, which could affect insurers, pharmacy benefit managers, pharmacies, and covered patients depending on how the underlying provision is administered.

Impact

HB1179 would directly amend Tennessee’s insurance code by changing a specific deadline or coverage period in the pharmacy benefits statute from two weeks to three weeks. Because the bill is limited to one statutory substitution, it appears to be a targeted adjustment rather than a broad policy overhaul. The change would apply to the parties regulated by Section 56-7-3103, including insurers and other entities involved in pharmacy benefit administration.

Sentiment

No committee transcripts or vote records were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate, support, or opposition in the materials supplied. The bill’s narrow scope and technical nature suggest it may be a relatively low-profile measure focused on administrative timing rather than a controversial policy change. On the record provided, sentiment cannot be assessed beyond noting the absence of documented disagreement.

Contention

The only identifiable point of contention from the bill text is the length of the time period itself: whether the statutory period should remain two weeks or be extended to three weeks. Any disagreement would likely center on the operational impact of that extra week for insurers, pharmacies, and patients, such as whether it improves processing time or delays resolution. No specific stakeholders or objections are identified in the provided transcripts or voting history.