Requires healthcare insurers, without prior authorization, to provide post-acute care services to patients discharged from a hospital for a minimum of seven (7) days commencing on or after January 1, 2027.

Plain-English Summary

This Rhode Island bill would require health insurance companies to cover certain follow-up care after a hospital stay — without requiring patients or doctors to get advance approval first. Specifically, starting January 1, 2027, insurers would have to automatically provide at least seven days of what's called "post-acute care" to patients when they leave the hospital. Post-acute care includes services like short-term stays in rehabilitation or nursing facilities, home health visits, and other medical support that helps people recover after a hospitalization.

The biggest change this bill makes is eliminating the "prior authorization" requirement for this type of care. Currently, insurance companies often require doctors or hospitals to submit paperwork and get approval before a patient can receive post-acute services — a process that can take time and sometimes delay or deny care. Under this bill, that approval process would be bypassed for at least the first seven days after a patient is discharged from a hospital.

This bill would primarily affect Rhode Island residents who have private health insurance and who are recovering from a hospital stay. It could be especially relevant for older adults or people with serious illnesses who frequently need rehabilitation or home health services after leaving the hospital. Healthcare providers, such as nursing facilities and home health agencies, would also be affected, as they would have more certainty about receiving payment during those initial days of recovery care.

As of now, the bill has been referred to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, where it has been scheduled for a hearing but held for further study, meaning it has not yet advanced through the legislative process.