Dive Brief:
- Doctor groups are afraid their members won't get paid because of a 90-day grace period for ACA plans.
- While the ACA plans will continue to cover patients' medical bills for 30 days after patients lose the ability to pay on their own, health plans may hold off for the next 60 days, and not pay at all if a patient doesn't catch up on his premiums.
- The AMA and many other physician groups are urging the White House to specify when insurers must notify physicians when their patients stop being able to pay premiums.
Dive Insight:
There's something a bit cockeyed about forcing providers to bear the costs of the ACA, given that it's the insurance companies who have the most to gain when patients manage to stay on the plan. As things stand, it's likely that doctors will stop providing services on day 31 if they are notified that they might not get paid. What started as an attempt to keep patients insured may end up leading to a war of wills between patient, physician and insurance company, something that can get pretty ugly. It seems this situation needs further attention from the Obama administration.