Please Act Now
to Save Small Independent Clinics
Your insurance premiums go up and up, every single year.
How much of these increases do you think have been passed on to the clinics and clinicians providing the healthcare services you receive? The answer, at least for small independent clinics like Heart of Wellness, is almost nothing.
How is this possible?
Hospitals and larger clinics have the ability to negotiate reimbursement rates with insurance companies. Small independent clinics, however, struggle to get a seat at the table. As a result, many are forced to close, limiting your access to high-quality, personalized care.
Finally however there is a bipartisan bill before the WA State Legislature that that would require insurance companies to negotiate in good faith with small independent clinics, ensuring that we have a fair chance to secure sustainable reimbursement rates.
Support House Bill 1589
HB 1589 preserves patients’ access to care by requiring insurance companies to engage in good faith negotiations with independent health care providers. “Good faith” means the insurer must:
- Offer a meaningful opportunity to negotiate the terms of the contract
- Provide a contact person for negotiations
- Indicate how the contract is different from the previous contract
- Share an easily accessible proposed fee schedule prior to contracting
HB 1589 also prohibits:
- Requiring providers to take discounts that are not part of the original contract
- Take-it-or-leave-it clauses
To support HB 1589…
- Click here: HB 1589.
- On the right side of the bill info are green tabs. Use the second tab from the top:
“Sign Up to Testify | Submit Written Testimony.” - Click on the link: “I would like my position noted for the legislative record.”
- Select “Pro” for position and complete the rest of the required information.
- Screen shots of what you should see are shown below.
The more people who sign in as Pro on the bill the better!
