Currently, only 21 states offer some protection against balance billing and most existing laws apply to emergency services required from out-of-network providers. Few, if any, address balance bills received for treatment by an out-of-network provider in an in-network hospital. In Pennsylvania, the Governor and General Assembly have introduced two bills aimed at taking consumers out of the middle of the reimbursement process. These bills have come after several other states have adopted more comprehensive laws that prohibit balance billing entirely.
Some measures addressed in Connecticut, New York, Maryland, Florida and New Jersey include:
- Protections in emergency department and in-network hospital settings
- Prohibiting providers from balance billing and requiring carriers to hold their members harmless
- Adopting reimbursement rate standards and a payment dispute resolution process
- Applying these laws to all types of managed care products, including HMOs and PPOs
The goal of the proposals is to keep covered persons out of the middle of carrier-provider payment disputes. In non-emergency procedures, healthcare facilities in New Jersey are required to disclose whether they are in-network and advise the covered person to ask if their physician is in or out-of-network. Individual healthcare professionals must inform the patient if they do not participate in the person’s plan network and provide a billing estimate and applicable CPT codes. With healthcare costs continuing to rise and a lack of federal regulations, we can expect more states to take measures to protect healthcare consumers. We will strive to keep our clients informed as changes develop.
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