Dear GSOMS Members:

HB 71 is legislation currently in the Georgia House Rules Committee addressing various aspects of network adequacy, surprise billing and reimbursement, and other related matters. The Georgia Society of the ACS, along with the Medical Association of Georgia and other state medical organizations, are working to keep this legislation from passing.

The bill has two prominent antitrust concerns:

• As a condition of medical staff participation, physicians are mandated to accept the same insurance plans as the hospital;
• As a condition of medical staff participation, the hospitals “shall receive the power to contract for the network participation of its providers (employed and private practice) with health benefit plans of such insurers, provided that such health care providers shall be responsible for negotiating all other terms, conditions and prices.”

Please contact the House Rules Committee (contact information below) and do the following:

• Share the attached legal opinion that states the legal flaws with HB 71 (HB 71 – Legal Opinion.pdf); and
• Request that HB 71 stay in Rules and NOT go the floor of the House of Representatives.

If your representative is a member of the Rules Committee please focus on him or her; otherwise, make your voice heard to the chair and vice chair of the committee.

Click here to view a list of the Rules Committee roster.