By Barby Ingle, PNN Columnist Each year I get asked to support multiple legislative bills that could impact the chronic pain community. I
Each year I get asked to support multiple legislative bills that could impact the chronic pain community. I look through them, think them through, and have written, called, testified and shared many over the years.
But sometimes a bill I supported comes back to haunt me as a patient. The intended consequences are not what I thought they would be.
Such is the case in Arizona, where I live. A state law was passed in 2013 calling for transparency in healthcare pricing (HB 2045). The law requires most healthcare providers to tell patients the “direct pay price” for a service or procedure regardless of their insurance coverage. I always thought it was a good thing to have transparency in pricing and for patients to know what their responsibility is, so I supported the bill
In 2019, Arizona passed another law (HB 2166) that authorized providers to collect “advance payments” from patients before a service is performed and without waiting for the insurer to pay. The new law was quick to be adopted and providers have already started using it more than expected. This is causing an issue in getting the healthcare we need in a proper and timely manner.
The law really didn't affect me until this year, when I went through all the testing and multiple office visits with a new provider. Then I was called to the office of the “scheduling manager.” This was right after the doctor told me that I need a procedure on my bladder. I have an issue known as neurogenic bladder, where I lose control of my bladder nerves and muscles.
In the office, the woman wrote on a piece of paper the cost of the procedure ($30,000) based on my insurance (Medicare) and how much I would have to pay in advance, which was $6,000.
Before the law went into effect, I could pay the bill over time and get the procedure done when I needed it. But now, she says, I had to pay the entire $6,000 before even scheduling the procedure. I do not have $6,000 to pay upfront, so I am unable to schedule it.
Arizona is not the only state that has passed healthcare price transparency laws; California, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont have similar laws. (Read more at link)
