LANSING, Michigan — Senate Health Policy Committee Vice Minority Chairman Michael Weber To ensure health care remains affordable in Michigan, he introduced legislation to establish a study committee to study the impact on health insurers of proposed state mandates that go beyond basic health care benefits required by the Affordable Care Act.
“While the state Legislature is debating important bills that could potentially cover benefits beyond the federal scope, we have an obligation to balance those discussions while keeping an eye on costs and ensuring health care is available to Michiganders who need it,” said Weber, of Rochester Hills.
“Health insurers continue to face pressure to lower health insurance rates and must further consider the impact of current and future proposed coverage mandates to ensure health insurance remains affordable for Michiganders.”
Weber said Senate Bill 921 would create a duties review committee within the Legislative Council to review:
- the social and fiscal impacts of mandating the proposed health insurance benefits;
- The medical effectiveness of mandating health insurance benefits, including recommendations from clinical studies and leading peer-reviewed medical journals.
- The effects of balancing social, economic, and medical effectiveness considerations, including the extent to which the need for coverage outweighs the costs of mandating health insurance benefits.
“Health insurance premiums directly reflect the costs of health care providers, facilities and drugs, and the Mandate Review Board will provide the oversight needed to reduce unnecessary costs to employers and individuals,” Weber said.
The Mandate Review Committee will also be responsible for carrying out an evaluation of existing health insurance mandates.
Under Weber’s proposal, the review committee would include the secretaries of the Department of Insurance and Financial Services and the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as one sitting member of the House and Senate appointed by the leader of each quadrant and an industry representative appointed by the Legislative Council.
###
