Chairperson Dietrich opened the hearing on HB 2703. Revisor Eileen Ma provided a summary of the bill. (Attachment 1)

Andew Wiens, on behalf of Kansas Employers for Affordable Healthcare, spoke in support of the bill.(Attachment 2) He stated that the Kansas Health Insurance Affordability Act allows the Kansas Department of Insurance to produce a financial impact report for any proposed health insurance legislation at the request of any legislator. This bill gives legislators real data-driven information when considering types of health insurance legislation and its likely impact on premiums. He believes it is a commonsense approach to healthcare policy and improves affordability.

Brad Smoot, on behalf of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, testified in favor of the bill. (Attachment 3) He said that the bill provides vital information that the Department of Administration's Budget Division may miss in their Fiscal Notes for a bill. He also stated that this bill would complement current law which requires a "test track" through the State Employee Health Plan before imposing legislation on commercial health insurance plans. 

Committee asked questions of the proponents. Chairperson Dietrich called Eric Turek of the Department of Insurance to speak about the bills impact on the department. He acknowledged that it would increase the workload for policy examiners but noted it would likely be manageable. 

The hearing on HB 2703 was closed by Chairperson Dietrich. 

Meeting adjourned at 10:11 a.m. Next meeting is scheduled for March 4, 2026.