Sen. John D. Rockefeller Holds Investigational Hearings Into Healthcare Reimbursement

Senator John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.V.) is holding hearings to investigate whether or not healthcare insurers have "systematically short-changed" patients when they use out-of-network providers, according to a report in The New York Times and a news release from Sen. Rockefeller's office.

On Mar. 31, Sen. Rockefeller questioned the CEOs of UnitedHealth Group and Ingenix on their "selective use of doctors' bills to determine out-of-network payments," according to the reports. The details of the hearing have not yet been disclosed.

This practice has been a hot-button topic since January after an investigation by N.Y. attorney general Andrew Cuomo into the UnitedHealth-owned Ingenix database. The AMA has also brought lawsuits against Aetna, Cigna and Wellpoint for their use of the database.

UnitedHealth previously settled with Mr. Cuomo and the AMA regarding this issue but admits no wrongdoing.

According to the report, Sen. Rockefeller says his goal is to end the practice of underpaying for out-of-network doctor visits not only in New York but across the nation.

Read the release from Sen. Rockefeller's office regarding the healthcare reimbursement hearings.

Read the Times' report on Sen. Rockefeller's healthcare reimbursement hearings.

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