DELAWARE

Overview

Delaware has a long legislative history in healthcare price transparency initiatives. Delaware legislators have authorized the Delaware Health Information Network to develop a centralized health care claims database since 2016. The Delaware Health Care Claims Database collects healthcare claims, enrollment, and provider data from Medicare, Medicaid, and the seven largest commercial health insurers in the state. To protect consumers against surprise billing, Delaware prohibits balance billing for medically necessary services through non-network providers that are not available in-network. Another law requires out-of-network facilities rendering nonemergency services to provide disclosure of any out-of-network charges not covered by the insurance.

To control the state’s rising healthcare costs, Delaware passed legislation that gave the Delaware Health and Social Services (DHSS) authority to establish a benchmark that would link the growth rate of health-care spending to the state’s rate of economic growth. Governor John Carney (D) also issued an executive order in 2018 that formed an advisory group to help set the benchmark. In 2021, the legislature passed a sweeping healthcare bill that would place rate caps on hospital price growth to boost investment in primary care, compel certain payers to tie their business to alternative payment models by 2023, and create shared accountability for both the cost and quality of care.

In the provider market, the state has statutes that voids covenant not to compete provisions of an employment, partnership or corporate agreement between and/or among physicians. Delaware also conducts a Certificate of Public Review (analogous to a Certificate of Need) prior to the acquisition of nonprofit healthcare facilities. In the interest of controlling healthcare costs, the review is based on whether there is a public need for the proposed action, whether there are less costly alternatives to the proposed action, and on how the action would impact the cost and quality of healthcare.

Delaware also has robust laws that promote the use of telehealth services. The state mandates both coverage and payment parity, requiring health plans to cover telehealth services for members and pay providers on at least the same basis as in-person services. Since the coronavirus pandemic, the state further amended telemedicine laws to allow patients to access telemedicine services without an in-person visit.

See below for an overview of existing Delaware state mandates. Click on citation tab for detailed information of specific statutes (click link to download statute text).

State Action


Latest Legislative Session: 1/10/2023 - 1/9/2024 (2023-2024 term). *Current session bill updates are ongoing. Check back weekly for updates.

Filter by Key Issue, Year, or Status
Download User Guide

© 2018- The SLIHCQ DatabaseInitial funding for this project was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.

Filter by Key Issue
Download User Guide

© 2018- The SLIHCQ DatabaseInitial funding for this project was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.
Filter by Key Issue


Additional Resources

STATE BUDGET

Delaware operates on an annual budget cycle. The governor submits a proposed budget by February 1 to the state legislature, and a budget is passed by June 30. The fiscal year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 the following year.

REGULATION & ENFORCEMENT

  • Delaware was one of 16 states to file an amicus brief supporting the FTC’s winning position in the Ninth Circuit appeal of St. Luke’s Health Care Sys. v. FTC, No. 14-35173 (March 7, 2014), decided February 10, 2015. The States’ brief stated that the acceleration of health care costs due to the growth of large health care provider systems had become a matter of grave concern for the states.

KEY RESOURCES

 

News & Articles