# Delaware SS 2 for 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 SS 2 for 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 signed, last action 2026-07-20 (Signed by Governor); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-SS2FORSB1-153
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Delaware SS 2 for 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: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-05-18
- Last action: 2026-07-20, Signed by Governor
- Sponsor: Bryan Townsend (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 11
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 2 (62 yes, 0 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 11

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Balance-bill protection for state employees: benefit, medium. Beginning in plan year 2030, state-plan members get protection from extra bills for hospital services subject to Medicare-based pricing. Providers cannot bill members beyond the carrier’s allowed payment amount. Members still owe their plan’s copays, coinsurance, and deductibles. Those amounts must…
- Hospital price limits for state employees: benefit, medium. Starting in plan year 2030, the state employee health plan must limit payments for inpatient, outpatient, and emergency hospital care. For hospitals other than free-standing children’s hospitals, outpatient limits are 275% of Medicare in 2030–2031 and 250% from 2032; inpatient and emergency limits…
- More primary care for state employees: benefit, medium. In plan year 2029, the state employee health plan must raise primary care spending by 1%. The starting point is the higher spending level from the two prior plan years. Spending must rise by 1% in 2030, 2031, and later years as needed, until it reaches 11.5% of medical costs, then stay at least tha…
- More primary care in Medicaid plans: benefit, medium. To the extent federal law allows, covered public-assistance health plans must raise primary care spending by 1% in their third plan year. The starting point is the higher spending level from the two prior years. In the fourth and later years, spending must rise by 1% until it reaches 11.5% of medic…
- New limits on patient service costs: benefit, medium. By January 1, 2029, the Office of Value-Based Health Care Delivery must issue rules limiting patients’ financial responsibility. The rules cover only services subject to the law’s specified rate-filing requirements. The law does not state the limit amounts or when those limits begin.
- Medicare-based limits on hospital prices: benefit, medium. For 2024–2027 rate filings, nonprofessional service price growth cannot exceed the greater of 2% or Core CPI plus 1%. That rule excludes free-standing children’s hospitals, qualifying Medicare-dependent rural hospitals, and urban Medicaid disproportionate-share hospitals. For other hospitals, Medic…
- Delaware tracks primary care performance: benefit, low. The state expands data collection to insurers, providers, and groups contracting for Delaware-licensed clinicians. Reports track insurer compliance and yearly quality, efficiency, and patient experience. The Office of Value-Based Health Care Delivery must set standard measures and methods for judgi…
- Health insurers must fund primary care: benefit, low. Starting in 2026, covered insurers must spend at least 11.5% of total medical care costs on primary care each year. Five percent of that required primary-care spending must use upfront primary care management payments. The Insurance Commissioner must allow high-cost claims to be excluded from total…
- Health plans must offer value-based care: benefit, low. The state must design value-based care programs that increase provider accountability and improve access to added investment. Covered insurers must offer programs that follow the Insurance Department’s design rules. This starts by the first full plan year after the Department issues the required re…
- Insurance penalties fund primary care work: benefit, low. The law creates a Primary Care Fund financed by specified insurance penalties. Annual legislative appropriations control spending by the Statewide Benefits Office and Medicaid Division on required implementation work. The fund can keep up to $5 million in uncommitted money at fiscal year-end; exces…
- Large insurers face payment-contract requirements: cost, low. These rules apply to insurers with two years in Delaware’s commercial market and more than 5,000 fully insured members. Their rate filings must tie at least 50% of total care costs to HCP-LAN Category 3 or 4 payment contracts. At least 15% must use Category 3B or 4 contracts, which include provider…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Bryan Townsend (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Eric Buckson (Republican), Senate
- Cosponsor: Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Krista Griffith (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Kerri Evelyn Harris (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: S. Elizabeth Lockman (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Melissa Minor-Brown (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Edward S. Osienski (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Ray Seigfried (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: David P. Sokola (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Laura V. Sturgeon (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Madinah Wilson-Anton (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-07-01 | House | Passed (SM required) | pass | 41 | 0 |   |
| 2026-05-19 | Senate | Passed (SM required) | pass | 21 | 0 |   |

## Actions (8)

- 2026-07-20: Signed by Governor (Governor)
- 2026-07-01: Passed By House. Votes: 41 YES (House)
- 2026-06-23: Reported Out of Committee (Appropriations) in House with 6 On Its Merits (House)
- 2026-06-18: Assigned to Appropriations Committee in House (House)
- 2026-06-17: Reported Out of Committee (Administration) in House with 5 On Its Merits (House)
- 2026-05-20: Assigned to Administration Committee in House (House)
- 2026-05-19: Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES (Senate)
- 2026-05-18: was introduced and adopted in lieu of SB 1 (Senate)

## Bill text

- Current, 2026-05-18: [HTML](https://legis.delaware.gov/json/BillDetail/GenerateHtmlDocument?legislationId=143337&legislationTypeId=6&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=143337&legislationTypeId=6&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)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/DE-SS2FORSB1-153 (as of 2026-10-12).