AZ Legislative Update – March 6, 2026
Posted by [email protected] on Mar. 9, 2026 / Subscribe 0
AZ Legislative Update – March 6, 2026
Today marks the 54th day of the Arizona 57th Legislature, 2nd Regular Session. With the March 27th committee hearing deadline approaching, legislative activity at the Capitol is expected to accelerate as lawmakers work to advance their remaining bills.
In the coming weeks, we also anticipate an increase in strike-everything amendments as members seek to revive stalled proposals or introduce new policy concepts that have not yet been considered this session.
Below are several bills we would like to highlight, including some that are scheduled for committee hearings this week.
Health Insurance
HB 2444 Pharmacists; Independent Testing; Treatment (Lopez): HB 2444 passed out of the House Committee of the Whole on Wednesday. The bill authorizes pharmacists, pursuant to a statewide protocol approved by the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy, to independently order, perform, and interpret certain FDA-authorized, CLIA-waived tests and initiate treatment for patients at least twelve years of age for conditions such as influenza, strep throat, COVID-19, and other public health threats. Pharmacists must follow evidence-based clinical guidelines, maintain records, notify a patient’s primary care provider when treatment is initiated, and carry professional liability insurance, while obtaining parental consent before testing or treating minors. The bill also establishes an Independent Testing and Treatment Advisory Committee to assist the board in developing and reviewing the statewide protocols. Additionally, pharmacists are authorized to initiate and dispense HIV pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis under specified clinical and counseling requirements and board-adopted rules.
HB 2693 Insurance; Bona Fide Associations; Qualifications (Livingston): HB 2693 will be heard in the Senate Finance Committee on Monday. The bill establishes qualifications for bona fide associations in Arizona regarding insurance. The bill outlines the criteria that these associations must meet to provide insurance coverage to their members. It specifies the types of insurance that can be offered and the regulatory framework governing these associations. Additionally, the bill includes provisions for compliance with state insurance laws and regulations.
SB 1165 Insurance; Cost Sharing; Breast Exams (Angius): SB 1165 passed out of the Senate on Monday, 27-2 and will be heard in the House Health & Human Services Committee on Monday. The bill prohibits, for contracts, evidences of coverage and policies issued on or after January 1, 2027, a hospital or medical service corporation, health care services organization, disability insurer and group or blanket disability insurer (health insurer) from imposing cost sharing requirements for preventative screening services for breast cancer or for additional screening services required to complete the screening continuum.
SB 1212 Health Insurance; Reimbursement Rates; Vaccines (Shamp): SB 1212 passed out of the Senate Committee of the Whole on Monday. The bill prohibits a health care insurer, beginning January 1, 2027, from reimbursing a health professional at a different rate based on a covered individual's vaccination status.
SB 1347 Health Insurance; Fertility Preservation; Coverage (Werner): SB 1347 passed out of the Senate on Monday, 27-2. The bill requires standard fertility preservation services coverage to include at least three plan years of storage. The bill stipulates that, if an insured changes insurance plans during the three-year storage period, the prior health insurer and the new health insurer are not responsible for the three plan years of storage. It specifies that the medically necessary treatment must be likely to cause iatrogenic infertility in order for the standard fertility preservation services to be covered.
SB 1621 Obesity; Prevention; Treatment; Advisory Council (Gowan): SB 1621 passed out of the Senate Committee of the Whole on Tuesday. The bill establishes the Obesity Treatment and Prevention Advisory Council (Advisory Council) to assess the potential cost savings of providing Medicaid coverage for preventive care, evaluating and recommending public policy and funding strategies and identifying health care system gaps. Outlines Advisory Council membership, duties and reporting requirements.
Insurance Operations
HB 2174 Insurance; Modeling and Data Organizations (Livingston): HB 2174 was assigned to the Senate Finance Committee on Monday and is currently awaiting a hearing date. The bill replaces statutory references of advisory organization with modeling and data organization and allows the organization to file models to be used by insurers. Additionally, HB 2174 makes a conforming change to statute to be consistent with the NAIC Model Act relating to credit to reinsurance.
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