Surprise billing legislation is moving forward in the Georgia legislature after approval from the state's House Insurance Committee, according to a Georgia Health News report.
Here are six things to know.
1. The revamped Senate Bill 8 is a new version of previous legislation on surprise billing that unanimously passed the state senate, according to the report.
2. The original version of the bill aimed to resolve patient disputes regarding surprise billing with data on healthcare charges collected in a national database, according to the report. This version of the bill would compensate physicians at a rate of 80 percent of standard charges established for a particular procedure in the ZIP code where the service was provided.
3. The new version of the bill would establish a formula for out-of-network reimbursement for emergency services, but includes no similar reimbursement template for scheduled patient care by other hospital-based physicians, including anesthesiologists, the report states.
4. Under the revamped Senate Bill 8, hospitals would also have to notify patients set for surgery or another procedure when a physician involved is out-of-network, according to the report.
5. Physician groups have spoken out against the altered Senate Bill 8. Steven Walsh, MD, president of the Medical Association of Georgia, said in the report his organization "believes that this legislation would create a system that lacks transparency and would undermine the state's healthcare system, especially in rural areas, as physicians would be paid at inadequate and unsustainable levels."
6. But Georgia Watch, a consumer advocacy organization, said in the report it's pleased the House panel passed the bill, as it would get rid of balance billing in emergency situations, according to the report.