ACCESS TO CARE COALITION AND MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE  VOICE OPPOSITION TO PROPOSED OUT-OF-NETWORK BILL A-1952/S-1285 AND OFFER SUPPORT OF BILL A-4228

Members of the Access to Care Coalition and the Legislature held a news conference today at the State House in Trenton on December 5, 2016 to voice opposition to the Out-of-Network Bill A-1952/S-1285 and support for Bill A-4228/S2674.The group unanimously supports bill A-4228, which requires increased notice by physicians, hospitals and insurance companies to consumers about healthcare costs.    

“We want to make sure there is more transparency from health insurers, so that consumers are not hit with surprise bills for out-of-network services,” said Larry Downs, CEO, Medical Society of New Jersey. “That’s why we support Bill -4228 and oppose Bill A-1952/S-1285.”   

The Access to Care Coalition, comprised of twenty groups representing more than 10,000 physicians and other providers, came together to address inconsistencies within New Jersey consumers’ health plan coverage; to call for more transparency from health insurers and to address the issue of surprise bills that can accompany out-of-network healthcare services.   

“Many patients think if they have an 80/20 health insurance, the insurance company will pay 80 percent of the bill, but that is not always the case,” said Dr. Rajnik W Raab, a neurosurgeon.  “What often happens is that insurance companies will pay only eighty percent of the Medicare reimbursement rate, leaving patients responsible for paying much more than they expected.”

Several other physicians spoke of the difficulties they and their patients face on a regular basis in terms of out-of-network, surprise bills, including Dr. Joseph Costabile (surgery), Dr. Nicole Saphier (radiology), Dr. Mark Rosenberg (emergency), and Dr. David Dupree (surgery).  

It is my honor to serve as this year’s President of NJ-ACEP.   I want to thank Mark Rosenberg for an outstanding year and congratulate him on his election to the National ACEP Board of Directors.  I have a tough act to follow. Please allow me to introduce myself to those who may not know me.

Aside from medical school (Chicago) and residency (Philadelphia), I have spent most of my life in New Jersey.  I completed my residency training at Jefferson in 1995 and spent the next 6 years practicing in Philadelphia.   During the early years of my career I had the opportunity to moonlight at many of New Jersey’s Emergency Departments from single coverage 24 hour shifts in Sussex County to Atlantic City’s city hospital and everything in between. This allowed be to experience multiple clinical settings and group structures.  I moved from my fulltime position in Philadelphia to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick in 2001.

 

Violence against healthcare providers is a growing trend in our emergency departments. Many of us have accepted it as a normal part of the job; part of our culture like running a code. However, just as we are advocates for our patients' health and safety, so must we be advocates for our own safety as healthcare professionals.  NJ-ACEP is here to be your advocate, and has embarked on a mission for Emergency Department Safety.