HB162 Alabama 2023 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Ed OliverRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2023

Title

Relating to the Alabama Medical Liability Act of 1996; to amend Section 6-5-549.1 of the Code of Alabama 1975, to provide that the term "health care provider" as used in that act and the Alabama Medical Liability Act of 1987 would include emergency medical services personnel and any emergency medical provider service.

Summary

HB162 expands who is treated as a health care provider under Alabama's Medical Liability Act to include emergency medical services personnel and emergency medical provider services.

What This Bill Does

The bill would amend Section 6-5-549.1 to explicitly include emergency medical services personnel and any emergency medical provider service as health care providers under the Alabama Medical Liability Act of 1996 and the Alabama Medical Liability Act of 1987. It also broadens the scope to include licensed optometrists, licensed chiropractors, and licensed podiatrists (and their professional corporations or associations) for purposes of the acts, with certain carve-outs. It bars the introduction of evidence that a trial witness is insured by the same insurer as the defendant health care provider. It applies to actions pending at the effective date, with a podiatrist-specific transition carve-out, and becomes effective on the first day of the third month after passage and governor approval.

Who It Affects

• Emergency medical services personnel and emergency medical provider services (now treated as health care providers).
• Licensed optometrists and optometric professional corporations; licensed chiropractors and chiropractic professional associations; licensed podiatrists and podiatric professional corporations or associations (for purposes of these acts).
• Participants in medical liability trials (defendants, plaintiffs, and insurers) due to changes in admissibility of insurer evidence.

Key Provisions

• Include EMS personnel and EMS provider services in the definition of health care provider under 6-5-549.1 and related acts.
• Include optometrists, chiropractors, and podiatrists and their professional entities in the scope of health care provider and professional corporation definitions for these acts, with specified exceptions.
• Prohibit admission of evidence that a trial witness is insured by the same insurer as the defendant health care provider.
• Apply to actions pending at the effective date, with podiatrist actions filed before March 7, 2006 excluded.
• Effective date: first day of the third month after passage and governor's approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Medical Liability Act of 1996, Health care provider to include emergency medical services personnel and provider services