PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona has joined several other states considering measures that would require extra licensing and background checks for health exchange navigators who help people buy coverage.
The state House on Thursday approved a bill that would require navigators to get a license through the state Department of Insurance and to pass a criminal background check.
Ohio governor Gov. John Kasich signed a similar bill into law last year, but a federal judge has put an injunction on it. Lawmakers in Missouri, South Dakota and South Carolina have also proposed similar measures.
Proponents say the requirements protect consumers who share private information such as Social Security numbers and tax returns from identity theft.
But Democrats say the bill is an attempt to slow down enrollment and that it is unnecessary because navigators already have contracts with the federal government.
Navigators receive grants through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to assist people in picking insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act health exchange. A spokesman for the federal agency said states can adopt their own standards for navigators as long as they do not stymie the health care overhaul’s implementation.
“What we’re doing here is we’re just handling the background checks and licensing to make sure we’re protecting our consumers,” Arizona Rep. Paul Boyer, R-Phoenix, said.
Debbie McCune Davis, D-Phoenix, said Arizona gave up its right to license navigators when it failed to adopt its own state insurance exchange program. She said the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has already established guidelines that regulate navigators, and that a judge struck down a similar law in Missouri.
Missouri’s law required navigators to be licensed, receive at least 30 hours of training and pay a small fee.
The Arizona bill would not impose a fee or extra training but it would bar anyone convicted of a misdemeanor involving fraud or dishonesty from becoming a navigator. An amendment to the bill would also allow the employer of a navigator to attest that the navigator has passed a background check in lieu of an inspection by the state.
“This is totally unnecessary,” McCune Davis said. “The rules are in place and the federal contracts are already in place.”
The Arizona House approved the bill 35-23. It now goes to the Senate.
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