EDPMA ACTION ALERT: Weigh in on Balance Billing Legislation

If your group or company handles ED business or you reside in Georgia, we urge you to weigh in with the members of the Georgia House Rules Committee and urge them to Vote NO on SB 8 as amended by the House Insurance Committee and Send It Back for Modifications. Contact information for the Rules Committee is at the bottom of this alert. The vote could happen as early as tomorrow morning.

Talking Points for Your Telephone Calls and Emails:

Tell the Representative your name, your group or company name, and the GA address linked to the residence or business, which GA hospitals you serve, and how many GA patients your group/company serves each year. You are sharing this information so they understand that your viewpoint is important and they should pay attention to you. On February 28, the Senate unanimously passed SB 8 (by a vote of 52 to 0). The Senate bill bases out-of-network reimbursement on an unbiased transparent database. On Monday, the House Insurance Committee rewrote the bill to be insurance- friendly. In this new version, insurers would pay emergency physicians "its standard formula for out-of-network reimbursement." In other words, insurers unilaterally determine payment rates. This new version of SB 8 threatens to hurt patients and physicians, destroy the health safety net, and significantly reduce patient access to care in rural Georgia. The new version also removes other patient-friendly provisions that allow out-of- network payments to count toward overall plan deductibles and completely remove patients from billing disputes. It also raises significant constitutionality and anti-trust issues. Vote NO on SB 8 in the House Rules Committee and send it back to the House Insurance Committee to rewrite it to be a more patient-friendly bill that adequately protects access to care in rural Georgia like the version passed unanimously in the Senate.

Here is a list of Georgia House Rules Committee members and their phone and email addresses. Any calls or emails are appreciated.

First Name Last Name Party House Phone Legislative Email John Meadows R 404.656.5141 [email protected] Brett Harrell R 404.463.3793 [email protected] Richard Smith R 404.656.6831 [email protected] R 404.656.5105 [email protected] R 404.656.5126 [email protected] Jon Burns R 404.656.5052 [email protected] Johnnie Caldwell R 404.656.5087 [email protected] Christian Coomer R 404.656.5024 [email protected] R 404.656.5069 [email protected] R 404.463-2248 [email protected] D 404.656.0202 [email protected] Earl Ehrhart R 404.463.2246 [email protected] D 404.656.0116 [email protected] R 404.656.0152 [email protected] R 404.656.5943 [email protected] R 404.656.5105 [email protected] R 404.656.5025 [email protected] R 404.656-0213 [email protected] D 404.656.5058 [email protected] D 404.656.0314 [email protected] Jan Jones R 404.656.5072 [email protected] David Knight R 404.656.5099 [email protected] Chuck Martin R 404.656.5064 [email protected] R 404.656.5115 [email protected] R 404.463.2246 [email protected] R 404.656.5132 [email protected] R 404.463.3793 [email protected] Jay Powell R 404.656.5103 [email protected] Terry Rogers R 404.651.7737 [email protected] R 404.656.7857 [email protected] R 404.656.7149 [email protected] D 404.656.0109 [email protected] Ron Stephens R 404.656.5115 [email protected] R 404.656.7855 [email protected] R 404.656.5125 [email protected] D 404.656.6372 [email protected] Bruce Williamson R 404.656.5024 [email protected] Stacey Abrams D 404.656.5058 [email protected]