ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 4, 1996 TAG: 9602050091
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
HB 1393 is the most comprehensive managed care reform bill in the 1996 General Assembly. The most contentious point of the bill would allow patients to seek care outside an HMO network of providers without a severe financial penalty. Here are other bills that seek to address particular areas of concern:
LENGTH OF MATERNITY STAY:
HB 87 (Del. Clifton "Chip" Woodrum, D-Roanoke) Would set in place guidelines so physicians could decide how long a mother would stay in hospital after giving birth. Some insurance companies pay for only 24 hours.
HB 447 (Del. Robert Tata, R-Virginia Beach) Would lengthen a mother's stay to at least 48 hours after a vaginal birth and 96 hours after a Cesarean section.
ACCESS TO OB/GYN CARE:
HB 442 (Del. Gladys Keating, D-Fairfax County) Would give women unlimited visits to a gynecologist without first getting a referral from a primary care physician.
HB 1472 (Del. John Watkins, R-Chesterfield County) Would limit to one exam per year without screening, but would allow women to chose OB/GYN as primary care physician.
DISCLOSURE:
HB 1015 (Del. Kenneth Melvin, D-Portsmouth) Would make HMO-doctor contracts public so patients can know if it provides disincentives for care.
HB 1296 (Del. Don McEachin, D-Richmond) Would prevent insurer from withholding payment from physician if per-patient cost exceeds norm. Some African-American OB/GYNs say they have been penalized because some of their patients' pregnancies tend to be higher risk and higher cost.
HB 960 (Del. William Robinson, D-Norfolk) Would bar an insurance company from ending a contract with a physician without written explanation.
LENGTH: Short : 44 lines KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1996by CNB