Bullock vetoes health transparency bill
Gov. Steve Bullock has vetoed the third bill in a series of Republican lawmakers’ attempts to overhaul how Montana residents can access and pay for health care.
“I appreciate the legislature’s work to control costs and improve quality for consumers,” Bullock said in his veto message. “...Unfortunately, in [the bill’s] current form it does not advance Montanans’ ability to make health-care decisions in a cost-effective manner.”
Senate Bill 362 — sponsored by Sen. Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls — would have required that health-care providers and insurers disclose costs for certain health procedures. It also would have required insurers to develop online tools to help consumers shop for the best deal.
Bullock said the requirement for health plans to create new technology would “pass the cost on to patients.”
He said peer-reviewed studies reveal online pricing tools often go unused. When the tools are used, Bullock said patients tend to pick the most expensive options thinking that they’re getting the best treatment.
He vetoed the bill on Monday.
Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Matt Rosendale called the Governor’s action “short-sighted” and “politically motivated.”
“In no other industry do customers have to wait until they after they purchase a service before they find out how much it costs,” Rosendale said in a press release on Tuesday. “We’re never going to be able to drive down the cost of health care if Montanans aren’t even allowed to know what those costs are in the first place.”
The bill passed with fairly strong support in the House and Senate, with a final 42-8 vote in the Senate.
Legislators will be polled to see if there’s a two-third majority in each house that wants to override the veto. So far this year, lawmakers have yet to override one of the governor’s vetoes.
AS THE nation’s health-care structure remains uncertain, SB 362 was in a mix of legislation that aimed to put more power in local hands when it comes to health reform.
The three bills — Senate Bills 362 and 100 and House Bill 266 — were created on the foundation that states should be able to shape health-care practices around their residents’ unique needs.
Bullock vetoed each bill.
Senate Bill 100, introduced by Sen. Cary Smith, R-Billings, would have allowed patients to pay providers for treatment outside of insurance. Bullock said in his veto message the bill could allow providers to charge for unnecessary services already covered by insurance.
Rep. Nancy Ballance, R-Hamilton, introduced House Bill 266 to create a compact of states that would work together to lobby the U.S. Congress on health-care issues annually. Bullock said the bill would be “ruinous” for Montanans. He said it would suspend federal health-care laws like Medicare and Medicaid and create a burden on the states in the compact.
In his most recent veto message, Bullock encouraged the legislature to “engage in more thoughtful study, since the pace of the session can limit thorough consideration of such complex issues.”
During the 2017 session, lawmakers passed a joint resolution to study what drives health-care costs and evaluate possible health reforms to reduce those costs. The results of the interim study are due during the state’s 66th Legislature.
Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.