OIC Proposes Hospitals Must Comply with Quick Notices to Patients for Balance Billing

August 26, 2020

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner, in its new second stakeholder draft for rulemaking on the Balance Billing Protection Act, is proposing hospitals must comply with quick notices to patients using the emergency department. The proposed draft requires hospitals provide patients with a copy of the BBPA Notice of Consumer Rights within 48 hours of an emergency service. WSHA urges hospitals concerned about the requirement to provide input to the OIC. WSHA is concerned 48 hours will be insufficient in cases where the notice cannot be provided electronically or at the time of service and must be sent by mail, especially for emergency services occurring on a weekend.

Hospitals can provide input either at the stakeholder Zoom meeting scheduled for Thursday, August 27 at 3:00 PM (prior registration required), or via written comments submitted by August 31. Information for both is on the OIC website. In your comments, please discuss the operational challenges your hospital would face with compliance with the rule as proposed. Please let WSHA know what you plan to comment so they can be included in WSHA’s comments. (Andrew Busz, andrewb@wsha.org).

Affiliates

Contact Us

Washington State Hospital Association
999 Third Avenue
Suite 1400
Seattle, WA 98104

Map / Directions

206.281.7211 phone
206.283.6122 fax

info@wsha.org

Staff List