HELENA — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock vetoed a bill earlier this week that would have allowed doctors to charge patients periodic fees for basic health services that critics said circumvents protections from traditional health insurance.
In his veto message Friday, Bullock said the measure would have also created an additional revenue stream for doctors while providing little benefit to consumers. He said traditional health insurance already provides some of the services contained in the bill.
The governor vetoed a similar measure during the last legislative session.
Republican Sen. Cary Smith of Billings said he was disappointed by the governor’s veto, saying that his measure would have given consumers added flexibility and cost savings in a time of uncertainty over the country’s health care system. “What the bill was meant to do was to help reduce the high cost of health care and make it possible for people who can’t afford insurance to get health care,” Smith said.
The direct primary care agreements, he said, would have benefited consumers who have high deductible insurance plans and must pay for non-covered services out of their own pockets. “This was a good alternative way to keep health care costs down,” Smith said.
The governor, however, rejected that the bill would cut costs for consumers and reduce administrative expenses for doctors. “The bill does not prevent providers from selling these plans to some patients while accepting insurance for others, meaning the provider carries the same insurance-related overhead, but receives another income stream at the consumer’s expense,” the governor’s veto message said.
So-called direct primary care agreements amount to a subscription service for medical care, but the plans are generally not regulated by state and federal laws that govern health insurance companies.
The agreements usually only cover basic medical services such as routine checkups, screenings and other services general y covered by most basic health insurance plans.