NCOIL Health Insurance and Long-Term Care Issues Committee Holds Virtual Interim Meeting

MANASQUAN, New Jersey, Aug. 29 -- The National Conference of Insurance Legislators issued the following news release:

The National Council of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) Health Insurance and Long-Term Care Issues Committee (Committee) held an interim virtual meeting on August 21st. The Committee is chaired by New York Assemblywoman Pamela Hunter and vice-chaired by Arkansas Representative Deborah Ferguson. The purpose of the interim meeting was to conduct a final discussion on the NCOIL Short Term Limited Duration Insurance Model Act before a vote is taken during the NCOIL "Summer" Meeting in September; determine the next steps for the NCOIL Health Care Sharing Ministry Registration Model Act; discuss air ambulance subscription membership products; and begin the process of developing an NCOIL Telemedicine Model Act.

NCOIL President Matt Lehman (Rep. - IN) said, "I commend Chair Hunter and Vice-Chair Ferguson for tackling critical health insurance issues. This Committee always has a very packed agenda. It is even more important now with our nation battling this pandemic that NCOIL acts in a timely manner to discuss solutions that can provide Americans with the security and comfort they need."

Chair Hunter stated, "I want to thank everyone who participated in the meeting. I especially want to thank Indiana Representative Martin Carbaugh for his work as sponsor of two Models on the agenda. It was important to have one more discussion on the NCOIL Short Term Limited Duration Model Act before the Committee takes a vote in September at the 'Summer' Meeting, and to conduct other business. The Committee still has a lot of work to do on other issues but I am confident that we will continue to make progress in Alexandria."

"I am particularly looking forward to continuing the discussions regarding the development of an NCOIL Telemedicine Model Act and I would be proud to sponsor such a Model. The use of telemedicine has grown rapidly throughout this global health emergency and there appears to be almost unanimous agreement that once we finally return to a sense of normalcy, the expansion of telemedicine is here to stay," concluded Chair Hunter.

The NCOIL Healthcare Sharing Ministry Registration Model Act was withdrawn from consideration by Representative Carbaugh. The Model was extensively discussed starting last July and has garnered a wide range of opinions.

"After having discussed the Model at three NCOIL national meetings and hearing further thoughts during this virtual meeting, it became clear that it was not going to be possible to obtain a consensus as to what should or should not be in the Model," stated Rep. Carbaugh. "I remain passionate about the topic and may end up introducing another Model down the road, but for now it is best for the Committee to focus on other issues."

There were over 100 participants on the interim virtual meeting which included 16 legislators from 13 states. In addition to the robust dialogue from legislators, NCOIL heard perspectives from a wide array of interested parties including the Health Benefits Institute, Horizon Government Affairs, the American Medical Association (AMA), America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the Alliance for Healthcare Sharing Ministries, and others.

Additionally, Chris Myers, Executive Vice President of Reimbursement & Strategic Initiatives at Air Methods Corporation, provided a presentation on the topic of Air Ambulance Subscription Membership Products. This topic will continue to be discussed at future NCOIL national meetings.

Vice-Chair Ferguson said, "I want to echo Chair Hunter's remarks and I look forward to continuing discussing these issues in a few weeks. As a dentist in my career outside of the legislature, the issues discussed in the Health Committee are topics that I am passionate about and I genuinely feel that the work we are doing changes lives in a beneficial way."

NCOIL CEO, Commissioner Tom Considine said, "This call demonstrates that NCOIL Model Bills do not always result in Model Acts; sometimes the process demonstrates that an issue is not ripe for a Model's passage. Additionally, despite unique circumstances for the NCOIL 'Summer' Meeting next month, we already are seeing a great turnout of both in-person and virtual registrants. We encourage all who cannot travel to the in-person meeting in Alexandria due to health concerns to please participate virtually. Dialogue needs to continue between legislators and interested parties to accomplish the various goals NCOIL set out to tackle in 2020."

The video recording from the meeting is posted on the NCOIL website and can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/OStfVo138sg

All material discussed during the meeting can be viewed here: http://ncoil.org/ncoil-health-insurance-long-term-care-issues-committee-interim-meeting-august-21-2020-100-pm-230-pm-est/