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Senate panel advances bill letting specialists offer direct-payment care arrangements
Summary
A Senate Insurance & Commerce committee advanced Senate Bill 168 to broaden a 2017 law so specialists beyond primary care can offer direct-payment (subscription-style) care arrangements; sponsor and witnesses said the model can improve access and continuity, while members raised equity concerns about low-income patients.
Senator Kim Hammer told the Senate Insurance & Commerce Committee that Senate Bill 168 would expand a policy established in 2017 to allow specialists, not just primary care providers, to enter into direct-payment arrangements with patients. "Members of the committee appreciate a positive vote," Hammer said after concluding his remarks.
The sponsor and a guest witness described the model as a subscription-type arrangement in which patients pay a regular fee for a…
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