On June 21, the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians signed on to a letter urging state budget bill (House Bill 166 (HB166)) conferees to adopt the Senate version of bill language that addresses surprise billing. The letter circulated by the Ohio State Medical Association, praises the Senate language as more comprehensive policy than House language.
The letter states, “The issue of surprise bills is an important one, and we agree that protecting patients is of utmost importance. Patients should not be stuck in the middle of payment disputes between physicians/hospitals and insurance companies, particularly when seeking emergency care, and the Senate version of this language is crystal clear on that point.”
The letter goes on to state, “Debates are happening nationwide on this topic, and the solution adopted by the Senate is modeled after the only proven law across the country – New York. Adopted in 2015, the New York surprise billing law has four years of successful implementation data to support its effectiveness. Georgetown University recently released an assessment of the effect of the New York law. Their findings state: ‘Insurer, clinician, and consumer stakeholders generally agree that the implementation of New York’s Surprise Billing law went smoothly, was relatively fair to all parties, and is working as intended to protect consumers from a significant source of financial hardship.’”
The letter concludes, “By establishing a fair and predictable arbitration process and benchmarks, the New York model is proven to encourage health care professionals and insurers to contract. Data shows that, after the implementation of the law in New York, the number of physicians and plans in contract rose by 35%. We thank all members of the Ohio legislature for their commitment to protecting patients and ask for the Senate language on surprise bills to be in the final version of HB166.”