Joe Smith: House takes Action Towards Health Care Reform HB 1498

Health care reform is one of the most talked about issues in the country.  There are several differing views on what steps need to be taken to improve health care including making it more affordable, more accessible and more transparent.  Because of the controversy surrounding the issue, very little has been done on a national level to improve the system.  In the Missouri House of Representatives, however, the wheels are turning and we are accomplishing the common-sense steps necessary to advance health care reform.

Many health care providers in Missouri, which include hospitals, physicians, and so forth, have experienced financial difficulties because of the failure of health insurance companies to make payments for health care services in a reasonable time frame.  The House saw this as a problem that needed to be remedied.

This week House members passed House Bill 1498 with overwhelming bi-partisan support.  The bill sponsored by Representative Tim Jones, R—Eureka, requires health insurance companies to pay provider claims in a timely manner.  Through this legislation, a health insurance company would no longer have the ability to delay payments to providers by suspending a claim through loopholes and special exceptions.  Instead, the health insurance company would be allowed 45 days to process and pay or deny the provider's claim.  If the health insurance company needs additional information or has any questions regarding the claim, they must do so inside the 45-day window.  Days in which the health insurance company is waiting for a response from the provider for that information would not count towards the 45-day window, however, if the health insurance company does not pay the provider within the specific timeframe, that company would incur a penalty.  If the provider's claim is denied, health insurance companies will be required to provide a specific reason for the denial.

Through HB1498, we are giving health care providers an opportunity to remain financially stable in their practice and give them the ability to rely on the prompt payment of their claims.  This legislation has gained wide-spread support throughout the state and on both sides of the isle.