HB2508 Navigator Bill Heads To The Senate

By Nadine Arroyo Rodriguez
Published: Thursday, March 20, 2014 - 4:34pm
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The Arizona Senate could soon vote on House Bill 2508. The bill sets requirements for becoming a state approved health care "navigator." Navigators or health care counselors are trained and certified by the federal government to help people enroll in health insurance plans through the federal marketplace. Arizona’s HB2508 calls for navigators to be fingerprinted and have a criminal background check to obtain a license.

On Wednesday, the Senate Health and Human Services committee passed the bill and sent it to the Senate for a vote.

Arizona is one of more than a dozen states with federally-run marketplaces imposing restrictions on navigators. Texas called for an additional 20 hours of state training, a background check and proof of identity. Missouri passed a similar bill calling for 30 hours of training, a $100 fee and disclosure of credit history. A federal judge stopped Missouri from imposing the law ruling the additional requirements obstruct the federal government from operating its program. Missouri is appealing the decision.

If HB2508 passes the Senate, it would go to Gov. Jan Brewer to sign.