AFP-WV Announces Major Grassroots Campaign Against Payment Parity Price Fixing Scheme

Feb 3, 2020 by AFP

CHARLESTON, WV – Today, Americans for Prosperity West Virginia announced a robust issue campaign opposing the health care price fixing scheme known as payment parity. The campaign includes targeted digital ads that enable citizens to contact their legislators.

The payment parity provision within HB 4003 would mandate the rate at which insurers pay health care practitioners who deliver telemedicine. This rate would be at least 90 percent of the rate as in-person services. Instead of allowing natural market signals to dictate prices, payment parity is a corporate crony scheme that would increase the cost of telemedicine services and pass these costs on to patients through copays, premiums and deductibles.

Telemedicine is supposed to be beneficial due to its lower costs and easy access, especially for rural communities and lower income families—but payment parity price mandates eliminate these benefits.

AFP-WV State Director Jason Huffman released the following statement:

“Big Medicine has teamed up with unprincipled lawmakers to line the pockets of corporate cronies at the expense of struggling West Virginians. West Virginians know all too well that these kind of back room deals corrupt our health care system and harm our most vulnerable families. To be clear, government should not be rigging health care prices in favor of powerful and well-connected corporate interests. Schemes like payment parity take power away from consumers, stifle innovation, and cast doubt over key institutions. We will hold lawmakers accountable who chose to support any payment parity price fixing scheme.”

Background:

AFP-WV released a Key Vote Alert calling for the removal of payment parity from HB 4003.