Before the Joint Committee on Health Care
Financing
The Massachusetts Medical Society wishes to be recorded in
support of Senate Bill 505, legislation that would extend to all
Massachusetts residents the same protections and benefits that the
Legislature bestowed on all managed care patients through passage
of Chapter 141 of the Laws of 2000 - the state's own "Patients'
Bill of Rights" law. As currently drafted, however, the bill
would only apply to Sections 13, 14, 15 and 16 of Chapter
176O. The MMS suggests the bill be redrafted to include all
provisions of Chapter 176O.
In 2000, the enactment of Chapter 141 - the "Patients' Bill of
Rights" - marked a breakthrough in patient protection in the
Commonwealth. However, not all patients were protected.
Participants in the MassHealth program are still lacking the basic
protections that the "Patients' Bill of Rights" offers to all other
managed care patients. Chapter 141 was also designed to
assist physicians and other health care providers in dealing with
large health insurance bureaucracies. One key provision
required insurers to make timely payment of clean claims.
This reasonable provision is not afforded to claims made under
MassHealth.
Historically, physicians have found the MassHealth program to be
laden with administrative hassles and red tape. Since
Medicaid programs must respond to federal and state mandates, the
administrative requirements are of necessity complex.
However, some of the problems appear to be remediable:
- Inability to get legitimate claims paid.
- Inability to bill for appropriate medical services.
- Inability to retain payments already received.
Expansion of all protections under Chapter 176O to all patients,
including those publically insured, would benefit not only the
patient, but the physicians who seek to best possible care for
their patients, regardless of insurance status.
We urge the Committee to report out this measure favorably, as
amended.
