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Read. Follow. Verify.Utah Updates Insurance Rules to Allow Physician Assistants as Primary Care Providers
Last action · March 17, 2026: Governor SignedSponsors: Stephen Whyte and 1 other
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What This Bill Does
Utah enacts HB 171, allowing health insurance policies that require a primary care provider to permit insured individuals to select a qualified participating physician assistant who meets collaboration requirements. The law takes effect on May 6, 2026.
Insured residents gain explicit statutory eligibility to choose certain physician assistants as primary care providers under health insurance policies, provided the provider meets specific training and collaboration standards.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Physician assistants
Physician assistants meeting specific training and collaboration standards are explicitly eligible to be selected as primary care providers under certain health insurance policies.
Accident and health insurance policyholders
Policyholders are granted the option to select a qualified physician assistant as their primary care provider for optimum insurance coverage.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I choose a physician assistant as my primary care provider under this law?
Does this bill appropriate any state funds?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
44 actions- Mar 17, 2026Lieutenant Governor's office for filingEnrolledGovernor Signed
- Mar 11, 2026HouseHouse/ to Governor
- Mar 11, 2026HouseHouse/ received enrolled bill from Printing
- Mar 3, 2026HouseHouse/ enrolled bill to Printing
- Mar 3, 2026Clerk of the HouseEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
- Feb 25, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingDraft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
Show 38 earlier actions
- Feb 25, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / EnrollingBill Received from House for Enrolling
- Feb 23, 2026HouseHouse/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
- Feb 23, 2026HouseHouse/ received from Senate
- Feb 23, 2026SenateSenate/ to House
- Feb 23, 2026SenateSenate/ signed by President/ returned to House
- Feb 23, 2026SenateFloorSenate/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 23, 2026SenateSenate/ uncircled
- Feb 23, 2026SenateSenate/ circled
- Feb 23, 2026SenateSenate/ 3rd reading
- Feb 18, 2026SenateSenate/ 2nd reading
- Feb 18, 2026SenateSenate/ comm rpt/ placed on Consent Calendar
- Feb 18, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Consent Calendar Recommendation
- Feb 18, 2026SenateSenate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Feb 12, 2026SenateCommitteeSenate/ to standing committee
- Feb 9, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Feb 9, 2026SenateSenate/ received from House
- Feb 9, 2026HouseHouse/ to Senate
- Feb 9, 2026HouseFloorHouse/ passed 3rd reading
- Feb 9, 2026HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
- Feb 5, 2026HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
- Feb 5, 2026HouseHouse/ comm rpt/ placed on Consent Calendar
- Feb 4, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Consent Calendar Recommendation
- Feb 4, 2026HouseHouse Comm - Favorable Recommendation
- Jan 29, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0171S01
- Jan 29, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0171S01
- Jan 29, 2026HouseCommitteeHouse/ to standing committee
- Jan 29, 2026House Rules CommitteeBill Substituted by Sponsor in House Rules Comm
- Jan 28, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0171S01
- Jan 28, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0171S01
- Jan 20, 2026HouseIntroducedHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
- Jan 20, 2026HouseHouse/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
- Jan 16, 2026ReleasedLFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0171
- Jan 16, 2026Version SponsorLFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0171
- Jan 14, 2026HouseHouse/ received bill from Legislative Research
- Jan 7, 2026Legislative Fiscal AgencyLFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0171
- Jan 7, 2026Legislative Fiscal AnalystLFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0171
- Jan 7, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselNumbered Bill Publicly Distributed
- Jan 7, 2026Legislative Research and General CounselBill Numbered but not Distributed
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
le.utah.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance40How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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