Legislative Alert from AAPPN-call for action

Acoridng to an email I recieved from AAPPN, there is a call for urgent repsonse to help stop a bill that would have negative effects on nurse practioners. What was stated, "If you or your agency receive private insurance reimbursement, you need to know about this. There is a bill before the House and Senate that would kill our Every Category of Provider law. This means that insurance companies would have the right to reimburse only MDs while cutting off the rest of us."

From Kathy Wilmering

Subject: Urgent Notice form Gov. Relations

March 25, 2013 11:12 a.m.

Hi All,

Here is clarification about the bill from our lobbyist Leslie Emerick. Please do not write your senators, but instead contact as described below.  2SSB 5540 does not currently protect Washington State Health Insurance mandates such as Every Category Provider or Mental Health Parity. We testified in the House Health Care Committee this week regarding our concerns with this bill. The committee chair has scheduled it for a vote this week. If you live in the legislative district of one of the members of the committee, please call or email them this week to let them know about your concerns with the bill. Here is a link to the bill language and committee reports: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=5540&year=2013

The issue really came down to whether “substantially equivalent” to the Essential Health Benefits plan is the same as “equal”…and it is not according to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. We have requested that the bill language be amended to “equal” which would protect our current mandates.

Please do not call your Senators at this time as they have already voted on the bill and we do not want to agitate the Senate bill sponsor further. If the bill ends up being amended in a form that we are opposed to and it goes back to the Senate for another vote, we will send out an additional legislative alert.

 Health Care & Wellness

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