With all the talk of healthcare reform, it's easy to overlook several new laws that take effect in Maryland on July 1, 2011. Two laws in particular were passed during the most recent legislative session and may impact some of your clients. A brief overview is provided below.
Maryland HB 156: Self-Employed Coverage
Extension of the sunset provision relating to health insurance policies for self-employed individuals, through December 31, 2013. HB 156 allows, currently enrolled, self-employed individuals to maintain their small group health insurance plan through the new sunset date of December 31, 2013. No new self-employed individuals may enroll in the small group market. Contact the issuing carrier for more details, as specific criteria must be met by the self-employed individual to maintain coverage.
Maryland SB 314: Assignment of Benefits
Establishes criteria for physicians accepting assignment of benefits and requires carriers to send payment directly to physicians rather than members. Additionally, SB 314 creates a new mandate that out-of-network benefits must provide a minimum level of reimbursement. All covered services under PPO benefit policies may not differ by more than 20% for in and out-of-network coinsurance reimbursement amounts.