HB 2035 continues to gain steam through senate

House Bill (HB) 2035, better known as the "Health Insurance Accountability Bill," having passed the Arizona House by a 57-1 vote in February, recently passed the Arizona Senate Health and Human Services Committee with a 5-0 vote and the Senate Appropriations Committee with a 9-0 vote.

"This endorsement signifies another crucial milestone in the ongoing endeavors to address critical issues aimed at holding health insurance companies accountable," said Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA) Communications Coordinator Dillon Rosenblatt. "As the bill progresses through the Arizona Senate, AzHHA remains steadfast in its advocacy efforts, urging state senators to support this critical piece of legislation. AzHHA reaffirms its dedication to collaborating with policymakers and stakeholders to enact meaningful reforms that benefit patients, providers, and the entire healthcare community."

The promotion of fairness being one of the three-fold mission for HB2035, several affected parties, including Wickenburg Community Hospital (WCH) CEO Jackie Lunbblad, appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee on March 19.

"I would say as a rural hospital, we walk a tightrope financially every day across, essentially, the Grand Canyon," said Lundblad. "For the last year, we have been wrestling with one of the largest payors who, at this time, we still have over $8 million in charges that have not been adjudicated. For a very small organization, a small business, an independent business that has been in Arizona for 98 years, it is detrimental for us to have to justify each claim one by one by one to this large payor as to why we should be paid."

Legislative District 7 Representative David Cook, who is the sponsor for HB2035, said before the Senate Appropriations Committee, "Our rural community hospitals are going broke and, in many cases, they are small businesses that are operating. When a patient is in a rural hospital, they have to notify the insurance company to be transferred to the next step, whether it's physical therapy, or whatever. They waited 10 days for the approval from the insurance company before that patient could be transferred and then were denied the 10 days with payment. Who could afford to run a business like that?"

Though showing tremendous approval through the Arizona House and, thus far, Senate, HB2035 has received some opposition.

"The insurance companies will tell you the bill will increase costs," said Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center CEO Neal Jensen. "It will increase costs for them, but it'll decrease costs for everyone else in the system."

Reiterating the payors' accountability aspect, one of the main driving forces behind HB2035, Cook said, "Our hospitals are small businesses, and they employ small businesses, from the people who do the linen services to the catering for the food in the hospital. I pay my bills. When I get a bill from the electric company, I just can't decide if I'm going to pay five percent or 10 percent or zero percent of that bill. When I go to fill up my truck at the Circle K, I don't decide how much of a percentage I'm going to pay for that. I've never seen an industry where these people have the ability to just pay what they want or percentage what they want."

Though the legislative section was originally suggested to end on day 100 (April 16), AzHHA representatives see the legislation continuing for weeks, or perhaps, months beyond.

"This achievement owes much to the leadership and diligent efforts of bill sponsor Representative David Cook," said Rosenblatt. "We also wish to extend our gratitude to the hospitals and communities across Arizona whose unwavering support has been instrumental in advancing this legislation."

For more info, visit azhha.org.