SPOTLIGHT: California may ban ED balance billing

For years, California officials have worked to resolve balance billing disputes--particularly those resulting from emergency department treatment--under which aggrieved doctors bill patients for whatever portion of their fee the contracted HMO doesn't pay. Though it was asked to solve the problem as far back as 2004, the state's Department of Managed Health Care wasn't making any progress in mediating the dispute. Now, the agency is putting its foot down, with plans to simply ban ED balance billing entirely. Article