Datapoint: Mississippi Governor Nixes Prior Authorization Bill

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves (R) vetoed legislation that would have required health insurance companies to speed up the prior authorization (PA) process and face fines for inequalities in provider reimbursement rates, according to a March 16 report in the Mississippi Free Press. The bill would have required insurance companies to maintain a list of services requiring PA and make it accessible on their websites. It also would have prohibited health insurers from denying a claim for failure to obtain PA. Reeves said the bill had “unintended consequences,” including untenable costs for Medicaid and other issues that make him “not comfortable signing,” but added that he supports reforms that would bring more transparency to the PA process. Of the 2,782,326 people with health insurance in Mississippi, 15.4% are enrolled in commercial risk-based plans, 33.3% are covered by self-funded plans, and 51.3% receive benefits via Medicare or Medicaid. UnitedHealthcare is the largest insurer in the state, with 573,503 members.

Source: AIS’s Directory of Health Plans

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