# Delaware SB 1: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16, TITLE 18, TITLE 29, AND TITLE 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE, AND CHAPTER 237, VOLUME 83 OF THE LAWS OF DELAWARE, RELATING TO PRIMARY CARE SERVICES. Delaware SB 1, AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16, TITLE 18, TITLE 29, AND TITLE 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE, AND CHAPTER 237, VOLUME 83 OF THE LAWS OF DELAWARE, RELATING TO PRIMARY CARE SERVICES., is a 153rd General Assembly (2024–2026) Senate bill sponsored by Bryan Townsend (Democratic); status failed, last action 2026-07-20 (SS 2 for SB 1 - Signed by Governor); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-SB1-153 - As of: 2026-10-12 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Delaware SB 1 - State: Delaware - Session: 153rd General Assembly (2024–2026) - Title: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16, TITLE 18, TITLE 29, AND TITLE 31 OF THE DELAWARE CODE, AND CHAPTER 237, VOLUME 83 OF THE LAWS OF DELAWARE, RELATING TO PRIMARY CARE SERVICES. - Status: failed - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-03-05 - Last action: 2026-07-20, SS 2 for SB 1 - Signed by Governor - Sponsor: Bryan Townsend (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 5 - Touches household money: yes - Economic provisions PRIA read: 9 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Patients gain rules limiting health costs: benefit, medium. By January 1, 2029, Delaware’s Office of Value-Based Health Care Delivery must adopt rules limiting covered patients’ financial responsibility. The limits apply to covered services subject to the law’s service-payment rate filing requirements. The law does not set dollar limits or state how much pa… - State employees get health billing protections: benefit, medium. Beginning in fiscal year 2029, Delaware’s state employee health plan caps service payments at 250% of comparable Medicare rates. Members owe only plan copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles, based on the insurer’s allowed payment. Providers cannot bill members above that allowed payment. When Med… - Delaware strengthens health care program oversight: benefit, low. The Office can collect data from insurers, providers, and groups contracting for Delaware-licensed clinicians with commercial insurers or government payers. It must set standard measures and assessment methods, and report compliance and annual quality, efficiency, and patient-experience results. Th… - Insurance penalties support primary care reforms: benefit, low. Penalties for specified primary care and payment-rule violations cannot exceed the monetary value tied to the violation. Those penalties go into a new Primary Care Fund. With annual legislative appropriations, the Statewide Benefits Office and Medicaid agency can use the money to support specified… - Insurers must fund more primary care: benefit, low. Beginning in 2026, commercial insurers must spend at least 11.5% of total medical costs on primary care, including 5% through advance care-management payments. The Office must set mandatory minimums for payment innovations and design care programs that increase provider accountability and access to… - Medicaid plans invest in primary care: benefit, low. Covered Medicaid-related health plans must raise primary care spending by 1% in the third year from the higher of the prior two plan years. They must continue annual 1% increases until reaching 11.5% of total medical costs, then maintain at least 11.5%. Delaware’s Medicaid agency sets the complianc… - State employee plans invest in primary care: benefit, low. In plan year 2029, Delaware’s state employee health plan must raise primary care spending by 1% from the higher of 2027 or 2028 levels. It must keep raising spending by 1% annually until reaching 11.5% of total medical costs, then maintain at least 11.5%. The plan’s insurer must also offer value-ba… - Larger insurers face care payment targets: cost, low. The rules cover commercial insurers operating in Delaware for the last two years with more than 5,000 fully insured members. Their rate filings must tie at least 50% of total care costs to alternative payment contracts in Categories 3 or 4. At least 15% must use Category 3B contracts, which include… - Health plans face new payment ceilings: mixed, low. Through 2027, covered rate filings cap aggregate nonprofessional service price growth at the greater of 2% or Core CPI plus 1 percentage point. The Commissioner sets Core CPI annually by March 31 using specified bimonthly measures. For filings in 2028 and later, service payments cannot exceed 250%… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Bryan Townsend (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: S. Elizabeth Lockman (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Ray Seigfried (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: David P. Sokola (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Madinah Wilson-Anton (Democratic), House ## Actions (13) - 2026-07-20: SS 2 for SB 1 - Signed by Governor (Governor) - 2026-07-01: SS 2 for SB 1 - Passed By House. Votes: 41 YES (House) - 2026-06-23: SS 2 for SB 1 - Reported Out of Committee (Appropriations) in House with 6 On Its Merits (House) - 2026-06-18: SS 2 for SB 1 - Assigned to Appropriations Committee in House (House) - 2026-06-17: SS 2 for SB 1 - Reported Out of Committee (Administration) in House with 5 On Its Merits (House) - 2026-05-20: SS 2 for SB 1 - Assigned to Administration Committee in House (House) - 2026-05-19: SS 2 for SB 1 - Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES (Senate) - 2026-05-18: Substituted in Senate by SS 2 for SB 1 (Senate) - 2026-05-14: Substituted in Senate by SS 1 for SB 1 (Senate) - 2026-04-14: Reported Out of Committee (Finance) in Senate with 3 On Its Merits, 1 Unfavorable (Senate) - 2026-03-18: Assigned to Finance Committee in Senate (Senate) - 2026-03-18: Reported Out of Committee (Health & Social Services) in Senate with 2 Favorable, 5 On Its Merits (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Introduced and Assigned to Health & Social Services Committee in Senate (Senate) ## Bill text - Current, 2026-03-05: [HTML](https://legis.delaware.gov/json/BillDetail/GenerateHtmlDocument?legislationId=142911&legislationTypeId=1&docTypeId=2) ## Related bills - HS 1 for HB 449: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DIETITIAN/NUTRITIONIST LICENSURE ACT. (passed house) - HB 357: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 10 AND 13 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DUTY TO SUPPORT POOR PERSONS. (signed) - SB 279: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCHOOL-BASED OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS. (vetoed) - HB 393: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 26 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PROTECTIONS FOR PUBLIC UTILITY CONSUMERS. (vetoed) - SB 231: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS. (vetoed) - HB 356: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PFAS IN FIREFIGHTING FOAM AND EQUIPMENT. (failed) ## Sources - [Current (HTML)](https://legis.delaware.gov/json/BillDetail/GenerateHtmlDocument?legislationId=142911&legislationTypeId=1&docTypeId=2) ## Related - [HS 1 for HB 449: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 24 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DIETITIAN/NUTRITI…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-HS1FORHB449-153) - [HB 357: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 10 AND 13 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DUTY TO S…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-HB357-153) - [SB 279: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCHOOL-BASED OCCUPATI…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-SB279-153) - [HB 393: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 26 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PROTECTIONS FOR PUBLI…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-HB393-153) - [SB 231: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKERS.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-SB231-153) - [HB 356: AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO PFAS IN FIREFIGHTING…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-HB356-153) - [Delaware bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/delaware/bills) - [Delaware state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/delaware) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-SB1-153 (as of 2026-10-12).