Preventing surprise bills for emergency medical services and other items and services under health insurance policies and plans. (FE)

What it would have done

Summary by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

This bill requires defined network plans, such as health maintenance organizations, and certain preferred provider plans and self-insured governmental plans that cover benefits or services provided in either an emergency department of a hospital or an independent freestanding emergency department to cover emergency medical services without requiring a prior authorization determination and without regard to whether the health care provider providing the emergency medical services is a participating provider or facility. If the emergency medical services for which coverage is required are provided by a nonparticipating provider, the plan must 1) not impose a prior authorization requirement or other limitation that is more restrictive than if the service was provided by a participating provider; 2) not impose cost sharing on an enrollee that is greater than the cost sharing required if the service was provided by a participating provider; 3) calculate the cost-sharing amount to be equal to the recognized amount specified under federal law; 4) provide, within 30 days of the provider’s or facility’s bill, an initial payment or denial notice to the provider or facility and then pay a total amount to the provider or facility that is equal to the amount by which an out-of-network rate exceeds the amount it received in cost sharing from the enrollee; and 5) count any cost-sharing payment made by the enrollee for the emergency medical services toward any in-network deductible or out-of-pocket maximum as if the cost-sharing payment was made for services provided by a participating provider or facility.

For coverage of an item or service that is provided by a nonparticipating provider in a participating facility, a plan must 1) not impose a cost-sharing requirement for the item or service that is greater than the cost-sharing requirement that would have been imposed if the item or service was provided by a participating provider; 2) calculate the cost-sharing amount to be equal to the recognized amount specified under federal law; 3) provide, within 30 days of the provider’s bill, an initial payment or denial notice to the provider and then pay a total amount to the provider that is equal to the amount by which the out-of-network rate exceeds the amount it received in cost sharing from the enrollee; and 4) count any cost-sharing payment made by the enrollee for the items or services toward any in-network deductible or out-of-pocket maximum as if the cost-sharing payment was made for items or services provided by a participating provider. A nonparticipating provider providing an item or service in a participating facility may not bill or hold liable an enrollee for more than the cost-sharing amount unless the provider provides notice and obtains consent as described in the bill. However, if the nonparticipating provider is providing an ancillary item or service that is specified in the bill, and the commissioner of insurance has not specifically allowed providers to bill or hold an enrollee liable for that item or service by rule, the nonparticipating provider providing the ancillary item or service in a participating facility may not bill or hold liable an enrollee for more than the cost-sharing amount.

Who's behind it

4 senators are its authors⁠. All 4 are Democrats.

11 more lawmakers signed on in support⁠.