Law360, New York (June 09, 2009) -- On Jan. 8, 2009, the California Supreme Court banned emergency care providers from billing patients whose HMOs refuse to pay the providers’ full bill. In Prospect Medical Group Inc. v. Northridge Emergency Medical Group, [1] the court said that this practice, known as balance billing, improperly places patients in the middle of billing disputes between providers and HMOs.
Under the Knox-Keene Act, California’s comprehensive system of licensing and regulation of the managed health care industry, emergency care providers are required to treat patients without regard to their ability...
