Session: State Capitol, Room 403 Juneau, AK 99801-1182 Phone: (907) 465-4931 Fax: (907) 465-4316 Interim: 716 W 4th, Suite 600 Anchorage, AK 99501-2133 Phone: (907) 269-0123 Fax: (907) 269-0124

Green's Health
Insurance Bill Passes House
HB 113 Would Require Prompt
Claim Payment Or Interest

(JUNEAU) - Health insurance companies that did not pay properly submitted claims within 30 days would have to pay interest to claimants, according to a bill that passed the House today.

House Bill 113, sponsored by Rep. Joe Green (R-Anchorage), seeks to protect health insurance clients and health care providers from inappropriately lengthy delays in insurance claim processing, he said.

"It can sometimes take months for insurance companies to pay doctors or reimburse someone who goes ahead and pays for a covered service up front," Green said. "It simply isn't fair for big companies to make money off the float while the doctors or patients have to carry their costs."

Under the bill, patients would be responsible for submitting "clean claim" forms containing all the information insurers require for timely processing. If an insurer could not process a claim within 30 days, or failed to tell the patient or provider that it needed more information, interest on the outstanding amount would accrue at 15 percent.

Green said that 39 other states have adopted similar "prompt pay" standards, that both help patients receive timely benefit payments and enable insurance companies to make sound business decisions.

"As anyone who's been through it knows, the task of filing, tracking and following up on even the simplest health insurance claims can be a confusing, time-consuming process, and the long delays in getting claims paid makes it even worse," Green said. "This bill should go a long way to helping even the playing field between the health insurance companies and the people they're supposed to serve."

HB 113 moves next to the Senate for consideration.

# # #

Attachments:

• Print Friendly Version
  requires Adobe Acrobat Reader - 1 page(s) - 93 K

Broadcasters Note: Audio comments are available on the Majority Actuality line:
1-800-478-6540 or below.

| Rep. Green's Page |

| Top | Home | Site Search | Breaking News | Legislators | Bills |
| Committees | E-Newsletter | Surveys | Research | Help |

The Official Web Site of the House and Senate Legislative Majorities
for the 22nd Alaska State Legislature
To Report Technical Problems or Contact Webmasters