South Carolina General Assembly
121st Session, 2015-2016

Download This Bill in Microsoft Word format

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

H. 3867

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Chumley, Burns, Loftis, Long, Yow, Henegan, G.R. Smith and Ridgeway
Document Path: l:\council\bills\nbd\11073cz15.docx
Companion/Similar bill(s): 3021

Introduced in the House on March 18, 2015
Currently residing in the House Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry

Summary: Licensed insurers

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   3/18/2015  House   Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 42)
   3/18/2015  House   Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry 
                        (House Journal-page 42)
   3/19/2015  House   Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Ridgeway

View the latest legislative information at the website

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

3/18/2015

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A BILL

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 38-71-345 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT LICENSED INSURERS WHO ALLOW BENEFITS TO BE PAID DIRECTLY TO PARTICIPATING OR PREFERRED HEALTH CARE SERVICE PROVIDERS SHALL ALLOW A PAYMENT TO A SIMILARLY LICENSED NONPARTICIPATING OR NONPREFERRED HEALTH CARE SERVICE PROVIDER.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    Subarticle 1, Article 3, Chapter 71, Title 38 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 38-71-345.    (A)    A licensed accident or health insurer who provides that benefits are payable directly to a participating or preferred health care services provider shall pay the benefits directly to any similarly licensed nonparticipating or nonpreferred health care services provider who has rendered such services, possesses a written assignment of benefits, and has given written notice of the assignment of benefits to the licensed accident and health insurer and the insured. When payment is made directly to the health care services provider as authorized in this section, the licensed accident and health insurer shall give written notice of such payment to the insured.

(B)    The provisions of this section do not prohibit the payment of different levels of benefits or the application of different levels in coinsurance percentages to benefit levels for health care services provided by participating or preferred providers and nonparticipating or nonpreferred providers.

(C)    Payments made by a licensed accident and health insurer to a nonparticipating or nonpreferred health care services provider discharge the insurer's obligation with respect to the amount paid.

(D)    For purposes of this section, 'licensed accident and health insurer' includes a third party administrator who administers a health or accident plan offered by the South Carolina Public Employee Benefit Authority."

SECTION    2.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on March 20, 2015 at 1:33 PM