Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Divided Senate advances bill letting employees 'swing out' to chosen doctors for added actuarial cost
Summary
Senate debate on third-substitute SB 66 centered on granting employees a point-of-purchase option to retain or choose providers outside an employer's panel by paying actuarially determined additional costs; sponsors framed it as patient choice while opponents warned of cost-shifting, and the chamber recorded a narrow 15–13–1 vote to advance the substitute.
Senators spent an extended portion of the Feb. 9 floor session debating third-substitute Senate Bill 66, a measure that would require insurers that offer employer plans to provide a point-of-purchase or 'swing-out' option allowing employees to use out-of-panel providers if they pay actuarially determined additional costs.
Sponsor Senator Wadobs said the policy is about patient and employee choice: if an employee wants to keep a trusted doctor who is not impaneled on a new employer's plan, the employee could elect a point-of-purchase option and pay the actuarial premium to do so. The sponsor emphasized that the additional cost should be borne by the enrollee and that premiums and copays must be actuarially sound.
Opponents…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
