Ohio Bill Aims to Make It Harder for Insurers to Deny ED Claims

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield raised the ire of hospitals, some physicians, and patient-advocacy groups when it enacted a policy of denying claims for ED visits it eventually deems to have been nonemergent. A new bill in Ohio would put a stop to that practice as it now exists, on the grounds that the policy amounts to noncompliance with state insurance regulations. As such, Anthem would lose standing to secure state government contracts, as well as tax credits and abatements if it doesn’t abandon its rule in Ohio. Anthem insures 3.4 million Ohio residents.