---
type: "Bill"
title: "Generally revise insurance laws related to prior authorization of chronic conditions"
description: "Generally revise insurance laws related to prior authorization of chronic conditions"
jurisdiction: "us/states/mt"
legislature: "Montana Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 398"
citation: "Montana HB 398 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Health Care Services", "Insurance", "Professions and Occupations Generally", "Revenue", "State"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Jonathan Karlen"]
version_count: 33
action_count: 41
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2024-11-21T23:21:46+00:00"
last_action: "2025-05-05T15:14:33+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/f455b442-4010-4d39-bd91-14ac234bd1bc"
source_url: "https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC1785?open_tab=sum"
source_hash: "fe4d76773515ce6154e8822aba417539eccdfe094f347cd4789a0e84ee2edb5e"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-mt"]
---

# Montana HB 398 (2025) — Generally revise insurance laws related to prior authorization of chronic conditions

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **HB0398.001.001_Amendments-in-Context_final-full(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=295884)
2. **HB0398.001.001_Amendments-in-Context_final-full.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=287685)
3. **HB0398.001.002_Amendments-in-Context_final-full.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=288012)
4. **HB0398.001.003_Amendments-in-Context_final-full.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=288990)
5. **HB0398_1(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=279632)
6. **HB0398_1(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=289411)
7. **HB0398_1(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=289412)
8. **HB0398_1(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=289413)
9. **HB0398_1(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=289414)
10. **HB0398_1.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=279322)
11. **HB0398_2(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=289416)
12. **HB0398_2(10).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=299994)
13. **HB0398_2(11).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=308294)
14. **HB0398_2(12).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=308296)
15. **HB0398_2(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=289420)
16. **HB0398_2(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=289421)
17. **HB0398_2(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=289448)
18. **HB0398_2(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=289462)
19. **HB0398_2(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=289463)
20. **HB0398_2(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=289464)
21. **HB0398_2(8).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=289472)
22. **HB0398_2(9).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=296346)
23. **HB0398_2.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=289415)
24. **HB0398_X(1).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=316833)
25. **HB0398_X(2).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=320409)
26. **HB0398_X(3).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=321447)
27. **HB0398_X(4).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=321448)
28. **HB0398_X(5).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=321449)
29. **HB0398_X(6).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=324647)
30. **HB0398_X(7).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=326317)
31. **HB0398_X(8).pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=327576)
32. **HB0398_X.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=310893)
33. **LC1785.pdf** (committee substitute) — [source](https://api.legmt.gov/docs/v1/documents/getContent?documentId=277680)

## Votes

- Do Pass — **91–9** (pass) · lower
- Do Pass — **90–8** (pass) · lower
- do_pass_as_amended — **20–0** (pass) · lower
- be_concurred_in — **12–0** (pass) · upper
- Do Concur — **45–3** (pass) · upper
- Do Concur — **47–1** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Jonathan Karlen — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2024-11-21T23:21:46+00:00** (LC) Drafter Assigned
- **2025-01-28T21:47:59+00:00** (LC) Draft in Legal Review
- **2025-01-29T20:44:28+00:00** (LC) Draft in Edit
- **2025-01-31T16:25:45+00:00** (LC) Draft in Input/Proofing
- **2025-02-03T18:17:45+00:00** (LC) Draft in Final Drafter Review
- **2025-02-04T00:19:04+00:00** (LC) Draft in Assembly
- **2025-02-05T14:59:33+00:00** (LC) Draft Ready for Delivery
- **2025-02-05T17:15:10+00:00** (LC) Draft Delivered to Requester
- **2025-02-05T21:55:19+00:00** (H) Introduced
- **2025-02-05T22:20:44+00:00** (H) Fiscal Note Requested
- **2025-02-06T17:55:28+00:00** (H) Referred to Committee - (H) Human Services `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-06T20:21:00+00:00** (H) First Reading `reading-1`
- **2025-02-06T20:58:00+00:00** (H) Hearing - (H) Human Services
- **2025-02-07T22:50:45+00:00** (H) Hearing Canceled - (H) Human Services
- **2025-02-10T22:08:00+00:00** (H) Rereferred to Committee - (H) Business and Labor `referral-committee, referral-committee`
- **2025-02-11T13:51:28+00:00** (H) Fiscal Note Received `receipt`
- **2025-02-11T21:59:25+00:00** (H) Fiscal Note Signed
- **2025-02-13T01:40:38+00:00** (H) Fiscal Note Printed
- **2025-02-20T23:22:26+00:00** (H) Hearing - (H) Business and Labor
- **2025-02-27T19:29:02+00:00** (H) Committee Executive Action--Bill Passed as Amended - (H) Business and Labor `committee-passage`
- **2025-02-27T22:15:00+00:00** (H) Committee Report--Bill Passed as Amended - (H) Business and Labor `committee-passage`
- **2025-03-19T19:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-03-19T19:26:00+00:00** (H) 2nd Reading Passed `reading-2, reading-2`
- **2025-03-20T19:00:00+00:00** (H) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-03-20T21:56:00+00:00** (H) 3rd Reading Passed `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-03-20T23:04:55+00:00** (H) Transmitted to Senate
- **2025-03-21T17:39:13+00:00** (S) Referred to Committee - (S) Business, Labor and Economic Affairs `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-24T15:12:51+00:00** (S) Hearing - (S) Business, Labor and Economic Affairs
- **2025-03-28T15:18:47+00:00** (S) Committee Executive Action--Bill Concurred - (S) Business, Labor and Economic Affairs
- **2025-03-28T21:31:00+00:00** (S) Committee Report--Bill Concurred - (S) Business, Labor and Economic Affairs
- **2025-04-09T19:00:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 2nd Reading `reading-2`
- **2025-04-09T19:51:00+00:00** (S) 2nd Reading Concurred `reading-2, reading-2`
- **2025-04-10T14:30:00+00:00** (S) Scheduled for 3rd Reading `reading-3`
- **2025-04-10T18:14:00+00:00** (S) 3rd Reading Concurred `passage, reading-3`
- **2025-04-10T18:15:02+00:00** (H) Sent to Enrolling
- **2025-04-11T17:09:44+00:00** (H) Returned from Enrolling
- **2025-04-18T21:00:00+00:00** (H) Signed by Speaker `passage`
- **2025-04-22T13:30:24+00:00** (S) Signed by President `passage`
- **2025-04-22T18:10:24+00:00** (H) Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2025-05-01T21:14:29+00:00** (H) Signed by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2025-05-05T15:14:33+00:00** Chapter Number Assigned `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/f455b442-4010-4d39-bd91-14ac234bd1bc`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Montana legislature records).