Today, the Michigan State House passed HB 4459 (with 465 Yeas and 97 Nays) and HB 4990 (467 Yeas and 101 Nays). This vote in the full State House was the last stop before making it to the Governor’s desk. HB 4459 would ban balance billing for out-of-network services delivered at in-network facilities, as well as in emergency rooms, and specifies that providers will be reimbursed based on the average negotiated in-network rate in that region, or 150 percent of Medicare rates. These rules would apply to fully-insured plans in Michigan.
Governor Whitmer will likely sign the legislation into law before the end of the year. This is a big win for ERIC member companies with Michigan employees and bodes well for our continuing advocacy on surprise billing here in Washington, DC.
Article by Shannon Belmont, Health Policy Associate