In any case, please consider contacting our members of Congress and urging them to provide some relief from these payment cuts. Many of you received the recent special edition of Advocacy concerning assignment, urging you to contact members of the Senate Commerce Committee. In response to much pressure, including e-mails from many of you, the Senate Commerce Committee did approve SF 2203 to go to the floor for Senate debate. This bill is directed at allowing patients who see a physician, hospital, or other health provider that is not a participating member of the patient s insurance plan to voluntarily request that the insurance company send the benefit check directly to the provider. Now that the bill is on the Senate floor, you are urged to call or e-mail Senators Joe Bolkcom, Richard Drake, Bob Dvorsky, and any other senators that you know about your position on this issue.
Assignment is a consumer choice issue.
Patients should be allowed to determine whether they receive payment or their provider does. Honoring assignment of benefits does not increase the level of insurance payment to health care providers. The insurance company still pays only those benefits the patient is allowed. Assignment of benefits is a common business practice and indeed is allowed by all private insurance companies in the state except Wellmark. Failure to assign benefits results in increased time and pressure on the part of the patient in filling out claims and on the part of the provider who must send a separate bill.