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A comment on California's ‘Surprise’ Billing Law Is Protecting Patients and Angering Doctors. Parent comment

Re:California's ‘Surprise’ Billing Law Is Protecting Patient... by riahi on Friday September 27, 2019 @11:12PM (#21098173)
These factors would then push for the insurance carrier to lobby state legislatures to cripple the negotiating position of their contractors.

Narrow networks are a big problem, having been denied access myself while trying to be in network.

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Re:California's ‘Surprise’ Billing Law Is Protecting Patient... by jcrben on Friday September 27, 2019 @11:22PM (#21098199)
What do you mean about lobbying? There's always lobbying by both sides.

Narrow networks are usually a symptom of few and picky doctors imo. But I don't really know. Economics suggests that more insurers in a market should benefit providers.

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Re:California's ‘Surprise’ Billing Law Is Protecting Patient... by riahi on Friday September 27, 2019 @11:47PM (#21098298)
Insurers will deliberately not credential physicians on their plans when trying to keep networks deliberately narrow.

I and others have been denied enrollment because the "panel is full". Narrow networks are not always because the physician doesn't want in. Sometimes it's a deliberate insurance strategy.

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Re:California's ‘Surprise’ Billing Law Is Protecting Patient... by jcrben on Saturday September 28, 2019 @12:27AM (#21098441)
That seems like the type of thing your state medical association should lobby against.

Btw, in California the state medical and hospital associations are definitely more influential than insurers. And I bet that's true in MA too.

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