New Arizona Laws and You Part 2: Disability Rights and Medical Bills

Looking at the Arizonans with Disabilities Act

This month we are looking at some of the 350+ bills passed by Arizona legislators this session that can have overt ripples in Arizonan’s day to day lives. Last time we looked at the expansion of ESAs and what that can mean for Arizona families come August. This time we are going to focus on Arizonans with disabilities who may receive an unwelcome surprise bill for medical services.

SB 1406

SB 1406 is legislation that amends the ADA (Arizonans with Disabilities Act.) The change will allow up to 90 days for businesses to correct any structural accessibility violations before a lawsuit can be filed. It also exempts websites from the state’s accessibility requirements. The goal, according to House Speaker and Republican Representative J.D. Mesnard, is to create a ‘proper balance’ for business owners and those in the disability community. SB 1406 allows business owners to have more time to address these accessibility issues. The members of the disability community feel left out from the final steps of the process. They also feel that the effects of SB 1406 will just increase the difficulties they already face.

Get Help with Medical Bills

SB 1441

Surprise medical bills are no joy to anyone. To combat that, legislators passed SB 1441. This piece of legislation will allow any individual (who currently has health insurance) who receives a surprise out-of-network bill of over $1,000 to request help from the Department of Insurance. The department will then assist in disputing the bill as well as resolving it. An arbitrator, assigned by the department will settle the disputes.

These bills have already passed and will go into the law shortly. Keep them in mind if you find yourself on the receiving end of an unexpected out-of-network bill or if a business is not doing their due diligence in maintaining the state ADA compliance.

If you or someone you know is in need of reliable legal help in Scottsdale and the surrounding areas, Van Norman Law is here to stand behind you. Learn more about us!

Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (12/4/24). Photo by AbsolutVision on Unsplash.