Governor amends problematic budget language

This year, the top issue for VACEP during the 2019 legislative session was surprise billing and out-of-network coverage. Working together with the hospitals and patient advocates, we were able to defeat the health plans’ legislation that would have prohibited balance billing and forced providers to accept their in-network rate. This was a huge victory for VACEP and the physician community.

Our coalition had put forth a compromise solution that was strongly supported by the legislature, but was ultimately derailed by disagreement on the purported fiscal impact on the state health plan.

In the final budget, the insurers managed to add language directing the State Corporation Commission, the Department of Human Resources Management, and themselves to develop a payment structure based on a percentage of Medicare.

The physician community, hospitals, and patient advocacy groups all had major concerns with the budget language because it didn't have input from an inclusive group, nor did it have a broad enough focus. VACEP immediately voiced our opposition to Governor Northam’s office, and together with our allies, asked him to amend the language. We offered proposed amendment language that all of our groups agreed to, and felt it was a more reasonable and fair approach.

We are thrilled that the Governor amended this budget language as we requested. The General Assembly will reconvene on Wednesday, April 3 to vote on all of the Governor’s amendments and vetoes to legislation and the budget. We are now asking legislators to accept the Governor’s amendments to balance billing workgroup language.