Association between "Balance Billing" Legislation and Anesthesia Payments in California: A Retrospective Analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Insured patients who receive out-of-network care may receive a "balance bill" for the difference between the practitioner's charge and their insurer's contracted rate. In 2017, California banned balance billing for anesthesia care. This study examined the association between California's law and subsequent payments for anesthesia care. The authors hypothesized that, after the law's implementation, there would be no change in in-network payment amounts, and that out-of-network payment amounts and the portion of claims occurring out-of-network would decline.

Methods

The study used average, quarterly, California county-level payment data (2013 to 2020) derived from a claims database of commercially insured patients. Using a difference-in-differences approach, the cha

SUBMITTER: Dixit AA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10592421 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature