SPONSOR: Trent
COMMITTEE ACTION: Voted "Do Pass with HCS" by the Standing Committee on General Laws by a vote of 12 to 0. Voted "Do Pass" by the Standing Committee on Rules- Legislative Oversight by a vote of 9 to 0.
The following is a summary of the House Committee Substitute for HB 1291.
This bill provides that any nonprofit licensed hospital serving as a MO HealthNet provider shall not deny the provision of medically necessary services to a MO HealthNet participant for which the participant is eligible, and for which the hospital provides in its regular course of business, on the basis of the participant's status as a fee-for-service participant or a managed care enrollee.
This bill is similar to SB 504 (2021).
The following is a summary of the public testimony from the committee hearing. The testimony was based on the introduced version of the bill.
PROPONENTS: Supporters say that this bill provides fairness by requiring hospitals who receive Medicaid funding to treat patients on Medicaid. The bill incentivizes hospitals to go into network.
Testifying for the bill were Representative Trent; Arnie Dienoff; and the Missouri Health Plan Association.
OPPONENTS: Those who oppose the bill say that this bill does not address issues associated with specialists and level of care. The bill forces providers to see patients but pays them less.
Testifying against the bill were Dr. Kevin Clary, University of Missouri-Healthcare, and the Missouri Hospital Association.
Written testimony has been submitted for this bill. The full written testimony can be found under Testimony on the bill page on the House website.
Statutes affected: