Florida SB 834: Emergency Alerts

Bill Text

834 
Nonprofit Religious Organizations 
2026-02-10T09:15:19Z 
Revising the conditions under which a nonprofit religious organization is not subject to the requirements of the Florida Insurance Code; requiring certain agents to provide a specified written disclaimer on certain applications and guideline materials, etc. 
Committee Substitute 2 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
c2 

 Florida Senate - 2026 CS for CS for SB 834 

 By the Committees on Rules; and Banking and Insurance; and 
 Senator Yarborough 

 595-02675-26 2026834c2 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to nonprofit religious organizations; 
 3 amending s. 624.1265, F.S.; revising the conditions 
 4 under which a nonprofit religious organization is not 
 5 subject to the requirements of the Florida Insurance 
 6 Code; requiring certain agents to provide a specified 
 7 written disclaimer on certain applications and 
 8 guideline materials; providing an effective date. 
 9 
 10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 11 
 12 Section 1. Subsections (1) and (3) of section 624.1265, 
 13 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 
 14 624.1265 Nonprofit religious organization exemption; 
 15 authority; notice.— 
 16 (1) A nonprofit religious organization is not subject to 
 17 the requirements of the Florida Insurance Code if the nonprofit 
 18 religious organization: 
 19 (a) Qualifies under Title 26, s. 501 of the Internal 
 20 Revenue Code of 1986, as amended; 
 21 (b) Limits its participants to those members who share a 
 22 common set of ethical or religious beliefs; 
 23 (c) Acts as a facilitator among participants who have 
 24 financial, physical, or medical needs to assist those with 
 25 financial, physical, or medical needs in accordance with 
 26 criteria established by the nonprofit religious organization; 
 27 (d) Provides for the financial or medical needs of a 
 28 participant through contributions from other participants, or 
 29 through payments directly from one participant to another 
 30 participant; 
 31 (e) Provides amounts that participants may contribute, with 
 32 no assumption of risk and no promise to pay: 
 33 1. Among the participants; or 
 34 2. By the nonprofit religious organization to the 
 35 participants; 
 36 (f) Provides a monthly accounting to the participants of 
 37 the total dollar amount of qualified needs actually shared in 
 38 the previous month in accordance with criteria established by 
 39 the nonprofit religious organization; and 
 40 (g) Conducts an annual audit that is performed by an 
 41 independent certified public accounting firm in accordance with 
 42 generally accepted accounting principles and that is made 
 43 available to the public by providing a copy upon request or by 
 44 posting on the nonprofit religious organization’s website; and 
 45 (h) Does not market or sell health plans through agents 
 46 licensed by the department under chapter 626. 
 47 (3) The nonprofit religious organization, or any agent 
 48 licensed by the department under chapter 626 which markets or 
 49 facilitates a health care sharing arrangement on behalf of the 
 50 nonprofit religious organization, shall provide a written 
 51 disclaimer on or accompanying all applications and guideline 
 52 materials distributed by or on behalf of the nonprofit religious 
 53 organization. The disclaimer must read in substance: “Notice: 
 54 The organization facilitating the sharing of medical expenses is 
 55 not an insurance company, and neither its guidelines nor its 
 56 plan of operation is an insurance policy. Membership is not 
 57 offered through an insurance company, and the organization is 
 58 not subject to the regulatory requirements or consumer 
 59 protections of the Florida Insurance Code. Whether anyone 
 60 chooses to assist you with your medical bills will be totally 
 61 voluntary because no other participant is compelled by law to 
 62 contribute toward your medical bills. As such, participation in 
 63 the organization or a subscription to any of its documents 
 64 should never be considered to be insurance. Regardless of 
 65 whether you receive any payments for medical expenses or whether 
 66 this organization continues to operate, you are always 
 67 personally responsible for the payment of your own medical 
 68 bills.” 
 69 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.