Posted: | January 30, 2015 11:30 AM |
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From: | Senator Charles T. McIlhinney, Jr. |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | Memo #8 - Fairness in Multiple Copayment Act |
In the near future I will be reintroducing the Fairness in Multiple Copayment Act, legislation that will protect consumers by prohibiting healthcare plans from inappropriately shifting the cost of medical care to the consumer by prohibiting the imposition of multiple copayments for licensed physical therapy, chiropractic and occupational therapy. Under existing law, coverage exists for certain types of services. Despite these requirements health plans have shifted a large portion of the cost by imposing increasingly high co-payments on consumers. In some circumstances, copayments have exceeded the reimbursement paid by the plan to the provider of care. This cost shift has imposed a financial burden on consumers, and it has restricted access to certain services. Consumers sometimes cannot afford the cost imposed by these copayments for medically necessary care. This bill would reestablish the obligation of health plans to cover the expense of medical services by limiting co-payments. I invite you to join me in cosponsoring this legislation. |
Introduced as SB487