Private health insurance companies deny coverage for a treatment all the time because they say the particular treatment is experimental, even when the treatment has been around for years and has been approved by various government agencies and programs. HB319(S) lays down the law for these nefarious insurance companies: when Medicare determines that a treatment is safe for its enrollees to use, then private insurers in Delaware may no longer deny coverage on the basis that the treatment is experimental or investigational.
It is interesting that Republican Senator Brian Pettyjohn and State Rep. Dave Wilson (who is hoping for a promotion to the Senate this fall) are sponsors of the bill. Interesting in that usually the default position of Republicans is that they oppose any regulation of the private health insurance market.
HB319(S) – IF MEDICARE SAYS ITS SAFE, PRIVATE INSURERS CANNOT DENY COVERAGE.
STATUS – Waiting on a hearing in committee
HISTORY – House Economic Development/Banking/Insurance/Commerce 4/12/18
SPONSORS – B.Short, Sokola, Marshall, Pettyjohn, Walsh, Baumbach, Bennett, Bentz, Bolden, Brady, Q.Johnson, Keeley, Kowalko, Osienski, Paradee, Viola, Wilson
YES –
NO –
NOT VOTING –
ABSENT –
Damn, a genuinely needed change to the law. I worked briefly in medical billing, the real death panels are the insurance companies and their primary weapon is the denial. This kills at least part of that game.