Welcome back to our ongoing series breaking down the new laws coming out of the Rhode Island General Assembly. This summer’s legislative session produced a flurry of activity, and in this installment, we’re looking at a few measures that tackle some very different, but very real, modern problems: the bureaucratic maze of health insurance and the ugly reality of digital harassment.

Let’s start with a bill that could change your next trip to the doctor. Anyone who has had a procedure or test delayed while their doctor waits for a permission slip from an insurance company knows the pain of “prior authorization.” The new Rhode Island Prior Authorization Reform Act aims to cut some of that red tape. Beginning October 1, 2025, this law establishes a three-year pilot program that prohibits insurers from requiring prior authorization for most services ordered by an in-network primary care provider. The goal is simple: let doctors be doctors and reduce delays in care. There is, however, a rather large exception—the new rule doesn’t apply to prescription drugs. The program will expire in 2028 unless lawmakers decide to make it permanent, so we will be watching to see if it delivers on its promise.

In another move to make healthcare more accessible, lawmakers passed a bill (S0120) that significantly improves insurance coverage for hearing aids. The old law was oddly tiered, offering better benefits for people under 19. This new legislation scraps that ageism and creates a single, improved standard for everyone. Starting with policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, insurers must cover $1,750 per hearing aid, for each ear, every three years. For many adults who were previously capped at a meager $700, this is a substantial upgrade that recognizes hearing health as essential for all ages.

Shifting from the doctor’s office to the digital world, the legislature has finally put some teeth into the fight against non-consensual pornography. A new law (H5046) makes it a crime to share sexually explicit images or videos of a person without their consent, particularly when the image was intended to be private. Crucially, the law explicitly includes images “created by a digital device or altered by digitization,” a clear nod to the growing threat of AI-generated deepfakes. A first offense is a misdemeanor, but subsequent violations are felonies. The law also makes it a felony to use such images for extortion, a tactic of predatory abusers. We believe this is a long-overdue step in holding people accountable for this particularly vile form of harassment.

These laws show a legislature trying to respond to both long-standing frustrations and new technological threats. Check back with us soon as we continue to unpack more of the bills signed into law this summer.