Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed three bills into law May 26 that build on the federal No Surprises Act and commence a study on rate-setting approaches in the state.
The signed bills include:
HB4703: Allows the Illinois Department of Insurance to help individuals who were billed at out-of-network rates after unknowingly or mistakenly receiving care from providers they believed were in-network.
SB3910: Health insurance and HMO member ID cards must show the payer's name, any deductible or out-of-pocket maximum applicable to the plan, and a phone number or website where a member can get plan information. The Department of Insurance can also enforce the ID card transparency requirements under the No Surprises Act.
HB0836: The Department of Insurance will oversee a study on rate-setting approaches that may lead to different premiums across tiers of coverage in the state's individual health insurance market. The study will produce cost estimates and the impact of a policy on health insurance affordability and access. It will also look at uninsured rates for low-income and middle-income residents by geography, race, ethnicity and income.
"Consumers who are already suffering from illnesses or injuries should not be further burdened with higher costs because they are unable to find an in-network provider for emergency care, or because an insurer does not have enough in-network providers available in a particular coverage area," IDOI Director Dana Popish Severinghaus said. "We look forward to intervening on behalf of more Illinois insurance consumers to fight surprise medical billing."