August
5, 2014
To
the Honorable Members of the
Illinois
Senate, 98th General Assembly:
I
hereby return Senate Bill 1630 with specific recommendations for change.
An
effective healthcare system requires that the needs of patients be met and that
healthcare professionals have the resources necessary to meet those
needs. The role of government is to strive to maintain that delicate
balance of protecting patients’ rights without severely limiting the ability of
physicians to render necessary healthcare to those patients.
The
American Medical Association’s (“AMA”) Code of Ethics states the following:
In
alignment with the AMA Code of Ethics, Senate Bill 1630 is a bill to prohibit
improper escalation of fees in certain medical bills. At no time should
patients be subject to unnecessary markups in their healthcare costs. This
year, we have seen a historic increase in Illinoisans’ access to healthcare.
Illinois is a patient friendly state and this bill ensures all patients receive
decent, affordable care while being informed consumers. The cost disclosure
required under this bill will help to better educate patients by providing
transparency as to exactly what they are being charged.
Illinois
physicians are vital in our healthcare delivery systems. They are on the front
lines evaluating and treating patients and, often times, providing preventative
care. While this bill prohibits markups, which harm patients, it is also
important to provide physicians a choice in their specialist network to consult
on patient care. This choice provides the ability for physicians to ensure
high quality care while having the resources to do so. Senate Bill 1630 allows
for physicians to cover their collection and transportation costs associated
with the medically necessary specimen testing required to make an accurate
patient diagnosis. This bill does not alter the direct billing practices of
physicians and/or their practices.
Therefore,
to further enforcement against markups by physicians, I suggest that the
Department of Financial and Professional Regulation have explicit authority to
discipline a physician for an improper markup of a bill. Additionally, to
ensure quality care, I further suggest that physician choice be made clear in
the bill.
Therefore,
pursuant to Article IV, Section 9(e) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I
return Senate Bill 1630, entitled “AN ACT concerning regulation.” with the
following specific recommendations for change:
on page 2, between lines 7 and 8, by
inserting
“(d)
Nothing in this Section shall be construed to prohibit a referring physician
from sending a patient's specimen to any laboratory providing anatomic
pathology services.”;
on page 2, line 8, by
replacing “(d)” with “(e)”;
on page 2, line 19, by
replacing “(e)” with “(f)”;
on page 2, line 22, by
replacing “(f)” with “(g)”;
on page 2, line 26, by
replacing “(g)” with “(h)”;
on page 3, between
lines 2 and 3, by inserting
“(i) The Department
of Financial and Professional Regulation may revoke, suspend, or deny renewal
of the license of any physician who undertakes a markup of a bill in violation
of this Section.”; and
on page 3, line 3,
by replacing “(h)” with “(j)”.
With
these changes, Senate Bill 1630 will have my approval. I respectfully request
your concurrence.
Sincerely,
PAT
QUINN
Governor
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