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March 3, 2008 issue
The House and Senate will consider bills in conference committees this week and next week as the end of the 2008 session nears. Bills that have made it this far in the legislative session must be reconciled between the House and Senate versions during conference committee time. If a conference committee reaches reconciliation, then the bill is voted one last time in the chamber that authored the bill.
The ISMA was dealt a loss last week as HB 1055 – Assignment of Benefits died in the Senate. The opposition filed many amendments and several of those amendments were “poison pills.” The intense opposition was counterbalanced with great grassroots involvement by physicians and other health care professionals who supported the bill.
In the end, the Senate Republican majority was split on how to proceed with the bill and a decision was made to end debate on HB 1055 this year. The ISMA anticipates a formal legislative study of the issue this summer, and the ISMA will continue to educate legislators regarding the true impact of out-of-network assignment of benefits.
Even with that setback, the ISMA can claim success during this session with the passage of SB 159 – Third Party Access to Health Care Contracts (Silent PPOs). Further action to formally approve this bill is expected in the coming weeks. This bill will be an important first step to uncovering the shadowy secondary market in physician discounts and application of those discounts to physician services without the physician’s express knowledge.
Insurance
Medicaid
Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Professional Licensing
Public Health
Tobacco
Miscellaneous
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