Tennessee Senate Bill SB1403

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

SB1403 amends Tennessee’s pharmacy benefits law by changing a timing requirement in Tennessee Code Annotated § 56-7-3103(a)(1). The bill replaces the current “two (2) weeks” language with “three (3) weeks,” thereby extending the period referenced in the statute by one week. The bill is set to take effect on January 1, 2026. Based on the caption, the measure is part of a broader set of code titles related to insurance, pharmacy, health, and public welfare, but the operative text in the bill is limited to this single change. In practical terms, it appears to adjust a deadline or coverage-related timeframe affecting pharmacy insurance benefits, though the bill text itself does not further define the underlying process.

Impact

The bill makes a narrow amendment to Tennessee’s insurance/pharmacy statutes by altering a statutory time period from two weeks to three weeks in § 56-7-3103(a)(1). This change will affect the administration of the referenced pharmacy insurance benefit requirement and any insurers, pharmacy benefit administrators, pharmacies, or covered parties subject to that provision. No other statutory language is changed in the bill text provided, and the amendment becomes effective January 1, 2026.

Sentiment

There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history provided, so the available context does not show direct debate, support, or opposition. From the bill text alone, the measure appears technical and narrowly focused rather than controversial. The caption suggests it is part of a broader insurance/pharmacy policy area, but there is no evidence in the provided materials of significant disagreement.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided transcripts or voting history. The only potentially debatable issue apparent from the text is the policy choice to extend the referenced period from two weeks to three weeks, which could be viewed differently by insurers, pharmacies, and consumers depending on how the underlying statute operates. However, no stakeholder positions are included in the materials provided.