PATIENT ACCESS TO BENEFITS ACT

We need your help to get this legislation out of committee. This bill is designed to allow patients to have fair access to their health insurance benefits for medical care received outside of the insurance company’s contracted network.

It is trending that insurance plans are now creating separate deductibles for in-network and out-of-network care. These out-of-network deductibles and maximums are often so high, that only the wealthiest patients can afford this choice. This bill would require insurance companies to pay benefits at the same level for both in-network and out-of-network care.

Patients should not be punished or be discriminated against for using their out- of-network health insurance benefits. Many patients choose out-of -network care for a variety of reasons. This legislation supports patient’s rights to choose their providers without financial punishment by the insurance companies. Obviously, health insurance companies need to limit their liability for out-of-network care, and they already do that quite well. This proposal does not prevent that; it just makes for a more level playing field.