Multiple Missouri healthcare leaders sent a letter to the state's insurance director asking her to consider the legality of a new policy from Anthem that makes patients liable to pay the entirety of their emergency room bill if the payer deems the visit unnecessary, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The letter was signed by Herb Kuhn, CEO of the Missouri Hospital Association; Dr. Jonathan Heidt, president of the Missouri College of Emergency Physicians; Brian Bowles, executive director of the Missouri Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons; and Thomas Holloway, executive vice president of the Missouri State Medical Association.
The signees expressed concern that the new rule would make patients hesitant to go to the ER if they thought they would be stuck with the entire bill, even if their condition actually warranted a visit.
"We think this policy is unfair to policyholders, and downright dangerous for patients," read the letter.
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