Insurance companies protest fee for new ombudsman
Thursday, March 11, 1999 | 11:16 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- Nevada business owners want lawmakers to pay for a proposed health insurance ombudsman with state general funds rather than another tax on policies.
Senate Bill 196, introduced by Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, would put an ombudsman in the insurance commissioner's office to deal exclusively with complaints about health insurance. It would be paid for with a yearly $1 surcharge on all health insurance policies.
But lobbyists for small businesses and insurance companies argued Wednesday that the bill would only further tax an overburdened industry that already hands Nevada $111 million a year in insurance premium taxes.
During a Senate Commerce and Labor Committee hearing, Schneider said he didn't like adding the proposed $1 fee on each policy but it's necessary to establish the office.
"That's $1 a year, for 30 years, that's $30 and I have access to an ombudsman where I can go to get questions answered," he said.
Schneider added he hated to add another fee, but "to get this started, we have to turn to businesses."
Bob Ostrovsky of Nevadans for Affordable Health Care said the groups Schneider is most concerned with aren't the ones who will be paying for the program.
"We're talking about taking care of seniors who are covered by Medicare, self-insured people who don't pay into the fund," he said.
Since those groups aren't purchasing plans through Nevada insurers, they wouldn't be assessed the yearly $1 fee. For that reason, the office should be paid for by state general funds, Ostrovsky said.
Insurance Commissioner Alice Molasky-Arman said she currently has seven employees devoted to answering consumer service calls. The insurance commissioner's office fields about 4,000 calls a month about all types of insurance policies.
Often callers don't know they have to go through their insurance company's grievance process before the commissioner's office could help them, Molasky-Arman said.
Commerce and Labor Chairman Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, suggested educating consumers on how to purchase and how to read insurance policies would go a long way towards reducing the number of calls received.
"Once they get sick, their world changes. Reading 2-point type when you have bronchial pneumonia isn't fun," he said.
If SB196 is approved, the existing consumer service staff could be supplemented or upgraded to include people with medical or health insurance backgrounds, Townsend added.
archive
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Two second-graders involved in shooting at bus stop
- Trainers scuffle at Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto weigh-in
- Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs among stars in Las Vegas for Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight
- Hooters reports loss, says Chapter 11 possible
- Gaming Control Board recommends licensing of CityCenter
- Live Blog: Pacquiao wins by TKO in round twelve
- Clubs want to be ‘good citizen,’ so stripper-mobile ends its run
- Las Vegas club agrees to halt promotion featuring live dancers on truck
- Nuclear plant in Ely could complicate radioactive waste, water issues
- Police seek man who stole $2,000 worth of clothing
Blogs
The Kats Report
New face of Monte Carlo includes all the faces of Caliendo
The Greene Room
Predicting this weekend's Mountain West football slate (1 Comment)
Top Chef: Las Vegas
Top Chef Episode 11: Child's play
Miech Again
UNLV prez Smatresk is ready for some basketball (9 Comments)
Politics: The Early Line
Harry Reid's fourth TV ad begins running today
The Greene Room
Chad Ochocinco vs. Anderson Silva? That would be a sight ... (5 Comments)
Top Chef: Las Vegas
The Jet Stream: The three stages of chefdom
Calendar »
- 15 Sun
- 16 Mon
- 17 Tue
- 18 Wed
- 19 Thu
-
Actor's Expo at Rave Motion Pictures
Rave Motion Pictures Town Square 18 | 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
-
Lily Tomlin at the Hollywood Theatre
Hollywood Theatre at MGM Grand
-
Neil Sedaka at the Orleans
Orleans Hotel-Casino
-
Supernatural Santana – A Trip Through the Hits at The Joint
The Joint
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Technorati





