Several new state rules concerning health care take effect in California today. Most notably, hospitals and physicians may no longer bill patients for the balance (the portion not covered by the patient?s insurance) of an emergency-room bill. This is intended to help patients who pay this balance without realizing they don?t have to, or refuse to pay it and ruin their credit. The balance generally arises from disputes between insurance companies and hospitals about what should be covered by the insurer. The new regulations include resources to hasten the resolution of such disputes. However, hospital chain Prime Healthcare Services, Inc., among others, is taking the state to court over the new regulations, saying that the new regulations favor insurance companies and hurt hospitals.
See "Hospitals protest new California rules on patient billing", Lisa Girion, Los Angeles Times, October 14, 2008