House Insurance Chairman Rep. Gary Chism, R-Columbus, who introduced the bill, told the publication lawmakers who are healthcare providers opposed the bill, as well as the current balance-billing law.
He said since the current law “sort of snuck through [when it passed], they didn’t want to deal with it in an election year,” and that they “want to be able to get their money.”
Current state law prohibits balance billing, which typically occurs when out-of-network providers bill patients for remaining balances after the insurance company submits a portion of the bill.
The Mississippi Insurance Department told the Clarion Ledger last year that it can try to mediate balanced bills for patients but has little ability to enforce the law. The attorney general’s office also said it could not enforce the 2013 law.
A bill was subsequently introduced in the state House to require the attorney general’s office to enforce the law and establish arbitration of disputes regarding billing between providers and and patients, according to the report. But the bill died in committee Feb. 5.
Access the full report here.
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