Bills to expedite review of insurer denials of cancer treatment nixed
The bills, sponsored by Del.
One of Yancey's bills would have allowed cancer patients to seek an independent outside review when their insurer denies a claim for treatment before they've exhausted all of the insurer's internal appeals.
Insurers are violating a
But the head of the state's trade association for health insurers says...
Insurers are violating a
But the head of the state's trade association for health insurers says...
The other would have set a 72-hour deadline for that independent review to decide. If not, the review body would be deemed to have reversed the insurer's denial.
Because no member of the House panel hearing the 72-hour bill moved to either approve it, kill it or continue it until next year, it died without any vote.
The same thing happened when no member seconded Yancey's motion to approve his other bill.
"As long as the clock is ticking, it is ticking, unfortunately, to the advantage of the insurance company," said
"People don't know where to go and what to do," Thomas said.
He said opening up the external review process sooner would help patients get a disinterested decision sooner.
And setting the 72-hour deadline, with the kicker that failing to decide by that time would be deemed a reversal of a coverage denial, would ensure that time doesn't run out for seriously ill cancer sufferers.
"What problem are we trying to fix?" he said.
But Yancey said he's heard from people across the state whose insurers denied claims for proton therapy treatment.
He said that was a surprise after his bill last year saying insurers could not hold proton therapy to a higher standard than other cancer treatments.
Gray said the 72-hour bill would unfairly hold insurers responsible for others' inaction.
He said state law already allows patients to seek outside review of a denial of coverage while also pursuing insurers' internal review process.
Yancey's two bills this year were part of a package of bills urged by
Yancey's other bills directed the state
Both died last month.
Large numbers of people are showing up at hospitals in
Large numbers of people are showing up at hospitals in
Many doctors cite inhumane working conditions in their suicide notes, including bullying, sleep deprivation and pressure for efficiency. (
Many doctors cite inhumane working conditions in their suicide notes, including bullying, sleep deprivation and pressure for efficiency. (
The university's proton therapy institute began treating patients in 2010, and Thomas says getting insurers to pay has been a challenge that is denying many patients the benefits of the treatment. Proton therapy uses a focused beam of radiation at specific frequencies in stronger doses than in other types of radiation treatment.
Insurers say proton therapy is far costlier than other treatments and question its efficacy.
They say the medical studies conducted so far have been performed by proton therapy centers that have a vested interest in making a case for the treatment.
Ress can be reached by telephone at 757-247-4535
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