Ohio General Assembly passes physician healthcare simplification bill

Under a new bill approved by the Ohio General Assembly, health insurers must reveal more about their reimbursement rates before negotiating contracts with physicians. (Source: "Docs win round with insurers at Statehouse," Business First of Columbus, March 14, 2008.) "The Ohio State Medical Association, the physician trade group that proposed most of the language in House Bill 125, applauded the measure while the trade group for insurers said it could harm access for the uninsured and those on Medicaid." The bill, which has been sent to Governor Strickland for his signature, also sets a 90-day deadline for insurers to verify a doctor's medical education and license and sets certain standards for contract simplification. For more on the bill, see this previous report in the Ohio Health policy Review.