EDITORIAL: Bill would help all Oklahomans

Mar. 3--Most residents are unsure how to sort out what's in-network and what's out-of-of network when it comes to medical billing. But we're happy to say State Rep. Chris Sneed (R-Fort Gibson) has secured passage of a bill in the House Insurance Committee to clear up some of the fog surrounding medical billing.

House Bill 3388 creates the Oklahoma Out-of-Network Balanced Billing and Transparency Act.

"This will eliminate all surprise medical bills for Oklahomans moving forward," Sneed said. "This removes the patient from the middle, sets benchmarks to determine who gets paid what amount, and resolves payment disputes for procedures by making insurance companies and providers utilize arbitration."

Most residents have received some of those "surprises," and there's nothing fun about them. You have a procedure done -- you think it's covered in-network -- then you get the bill. Not only is the bill listed for an out-of-network provider, it's for a much higher amount than you expected to have to pay.

Sneed's bill would put an end to those "surprises." His bill would prohibit health providers from charging an insured person the difference between a provider's fee and the sum of what the enrollee's health insurance pays. It also would prohibit health insurers from restricting providers from billing patients the applicable cost-sharing requirements.

And, if an insured patient receives emergency services from an out-of-network provider, the patient will no longer be responsible for any amount greater than what they would pay in-network.

This is a game-changer. Sneed is on the right track, and if the measure passes and becomes law, we will be much closer to being able to afford health care, something we all need.

___

(c)2020 the Muskogee Phoenix (Muskogee, Okla.)

Visit the Muskogee Phoenix (Muskogee, Okla.) at muskogeephoenix.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.