ODI planning new network transparency rule

The Ohio Department of Insurance has introduced a proposed rule designed to assist Ohioans in determining whether their health providers are included in a health plan’s network (Source: “Rule aims to clarify health insurance networks,” Columbus Dispatch, April 10, 2015). 

Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor, who heads the state’s Department of Insurance, said the department received 31 percent more complaints last year than in 2013, and many of those complaints involved a lack of information about who was in or out of their insurance plan’s provider network.

Technical language is still being worked on for the new network-transparency standards, but they should be in place later this year.

The standards would require that insurance directories include up-to-date information about providers, and would require insurance companies and plan administrators to provide documents demonstrating compliance upon request.

Consumers can take a four-question survey and share their thoughts on the issue here.