(continued page 7)
Alvarado introduced the bill at the beginning of the session.
The bill changes current law and requires insurers to follow a new
and fairer set of procedures before changing an existing agreement
with a provider. Specifically, SB 18 requires:
•
ninety (90) days’ notice for a material change;
•
notices for material changes dealing with membership networks
or new/modified insurance products to be sent by certified mail;
•
notices for all other material changes to be sent in an orange-colored envelope;
•
notices that describe the material changes;
•
an opportunity for providers to use “real-time communication”
to discuss the proposed changes with the insurer;
•
a clean, consolidated informational copy of the agreement after
three (3) material changes in a twelve (12) month period; and
•
an opportunity for providers to object to proposed material
changes by utilizing specifically defined procedures.
I had the privilege of testifying with Senator Alvarado in support
of the bill in front of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. The
bill passed the Senate on March 3. This is where the bill seemed to
take on a life of its own. An amendment was attached to the bill on
the House floor which appeared to be problematic for its passage
and the Senate then refused to concur. Luckily, because of the concerted efforts of numerous GLMS/KMA members and staff and the
tireless effort of Senator Alvarado, the bill eventually made it to a
Conference Committee. The Conference Committee was composed
of both House and Senate members and they were given the task of
revising the bill so that the Senate would adopt the changes.
The passage of the bill looked to be in jeopardy on the last day of
the session, which extended several days until April 15 because of
a prolonged budget battle. In fact, at around 6:30 pm that evening,
8
LOUISVILLE MEDICINE
I communicated with Cory Meadows (KMA) for an update on the
bill and he responded that the bill was in jeopardy but that they were
still working. Finally, the Committee came to a compromise. The
bill still had to be adopted by the House and the Senate and signed
by each presiding officer before being delivered to the Governor
prior to midnight or it would all be too late! Well, that is exactly
what happened with Senator Alvarado and Cory Meadows literally
running down the hallway to the Governor’s office and eventually
busting through his office door in order to have the bill filed before
midnight. As Cory said, “High drama in the Capitol!” That was not
the end, however, as the Governor considered vetoing the legislation
because he had some concerns about its language. Nevertheless,
Governor Bevin decided not to veto the legislation but instead
allowed the bill to become law without his signature on April 28.
In closing, one of the most successful legislative sessions for physicians and patients has come to a close and your GLMS has represented you well. Key legislation, which passed, came from GLMS
resolutions. The representation of our GLMS delegation on the KMA
Legislative Day in Frankfort in February was extremely important
to passing this legislation. Meeting one-on-one with legislators,
explaining the significance of the bills, and asking for their support of these bills was a key component. Phone calls from GLMS
members and staff to legislators when the bills came up for a vote
in either the committees or on the House or Senate floors were also
instrumental to our success. The GLMS Policy and Advocacy Team
was energized and involved with the process. My hope is that these
successes are just the start of better physician involvement with our
legislators. The more involved we are will make a huge impact on
legislation that will help to secure quality care and coverage for our
patients and our practices.
Frank Burns, MD, is an ophthalmologist and chairs the GLMS Policy
& Advocacy Team and the GLMS KMA Delegation.