When consumers enroll in a health insurance plan, they should have reasonable access to all covered services in the plan. Narrow provider networks are increasingly common, and healthcare consumers are at greater risk of not being able to access needed medical services and providers without going out-of-network and incurring additional costs.  Georgia Watch supports legislation that sets stronger network adequacy standards for insurance plans and improves access to care.  

Current Georgia Legislation: Senator Kay Kirkpatrick (R-32) introduced Senate Bill 20, the Consumer Access to Contracted Healthcare (CATCH) Act. This bill amends Georgia’s Surprise Billing Consumer Protection Act by setting network adequacy standards for insurers and providing protections when consumers must see an out-of-network provider for care, improving consumer access to healthcare. SB 20 was read and referred to Senate Committee on Insurance and Labor.