After four years and two Ohio General Assembly’s, legislation requiring insurers to provide claim reporting data to employers with 50 or more enrolled employees has finally passed and been signed into law by Gov. DeWine. Sponsored by Sen. Matt Huffman (R-Lima), Senate Bill 9 will provide a solution to a problem that OIA members have brought to our attention over the last several years.
The provisions of S.B. 9 are effective July 1, 2021 and requires the following components:
- Net claims paid by month;
2. Claims over $30,000 – amount paid toward each claim and claimant health condition/diagnosis;
3. Enrollment data by month;
4. Monthly prescription claim information.
While this claims data is typically available to employers with 100-plus employees, it has not been available to those that fall below this threshold. The lack of this data hinders the ability of risk advisers and employers to pursue additional funding arrangements that have become available in the last several years.
By allowing risk advisors and employers access to claims data, Ohio employers can make better decisions regarding properly assessing health care options to potentially reduce their health care costs. Ultimately, S.B. 9 will empower risk advisors and employers with the ability to better design a health insurance program that balances the level of risk and reward.
OIA would like to thank Victoria McCoy of Associated Insurance Agencies, Inc. and Alex Due of Stapleton Insurance Group for taking the time out of their busy schedules to share their expertise with legislators by testifying on behalf of OIA in support of this much-needed legislation. Barbara Gerken of First Insurance Group, who is also an OIA member, testified in support of the bill many times on behalf of the Ohio Association of Health Underwriters.
In addition to OIA and the Ohio Association of Health Underwriters Association, several other organizations also supported S.B. 9 including the National Association of Independent Business – Ohio and the Ohio Small Business Council.
OIA would also like to thank State Senator Matt Huffman (R-Lima) for his leadership on this issue over the last four years. We greatly appreciate the dedication and perseverance that he showed in shepherding this issue across the finish line to help Ohio’s smaller businesses have the necessary information to make educated decisions about their insurance coverage options.
