The Ohio House passed and sent to the Senate on Tuesday HB 125, a "healthcare simplification act," on a 91 to 5 vote. The bill would "strengthen the position of physicians in contract talks with health insurance companies" by setting standards for "clarity and transparency in medical contracting, billing, and credentialing." (Source: "House Votes 91-5 For Bill To Help Doctors In Contract Negotiations With Health Insurance Companies," Gongwer News, Oct. 9, 2007.) HB 125 is backed by the Ohio State Medical Association (OSMA), which said doctors and their staffs are spending increasing amounts of time dealing with administrative issues from health insurance companies. An OSMA memo sent to House members stated, "Whether it is HMO imposed bureaucracy in dealing with credentialing or insurance eligibility, or 'take-it-or-leave-it' predatory contract proposals, physicians have virtually no say in how HMOs establish their rules and no way to negotiate fairer treatment."
Sponsored by Rep. Matt Huffman (R-Lima), HB 125 would "eliminate redundancy and confusion in the billing process by creating a web based eligibility process that insurance companies would have to put in place for providers to use." The article quoted Huffman as saying, "Essentially, the . . . doctors are going to be able to access that system, those who are patients of the doctors are going to be able to access that system, and everyone is going to be able to know what is in fact covered, what co-pays are, all of those kinds of things, so that's not the mystery that it appears often when all of us go to our doctor's office."
