A carrier shall not enter into an agreement or contract with a health care provider if the agreement or contract contains a provision that:
(a)(i) limits the ability of the carrier to introduce or modify a select network plan or tiered network plan by granting the health care provider a guaranteed right of participation; (ii) requires the carrier to place all members of a provider group, whether local practice groups or facilities, in the same tier of a tiered network plan; (iii) requires the carrier to include all members of a provider group, whether local practice groups or facilities, in a select network plan on an all-or-nothing basis; or (iv) requires a provider to participate in a new select network or tiered network plan that the carrier introduces without granting the provider the right to opt-out of the new plan at least 60 days before the new plan is submitted to the commissioner for approval; or
(b) requires or permits the carrier or the health care provider to alter or terminate a contract or agreement, in whole or in part, to affect parity with an agreement or contract with other carriers or health care providers or based on a decision to introduce or modify a select network plan or tiered network plan; or (c) requires or permits the carrier to make any form of supplemental payment unless each supplemental payment is publicly disclosed to the commissioner as a condition of accreditation, including the amount and purpose of each payment and whether or not each payment is included within the provider's reported relative prices and health status adjusted total medical expenses under section 6 of chapter 118G.
Prohibits certain contracting practices between insurance carriers and health care providers including the following: provisions that guarantee a health care provider the right to participate in a select network or tiered network plan; requirements that all members of a provider group be included in the same tier in a tiered network plan or all be included in a select network plan; requiring provider participation in a new select or tiered network plan without granting providers the right to opt out of the new plans; requiring or permitting carriers or providers to alter contracts based on agreements with other carriers and providers; and requiring or permitting carriers to make supplemental payments without first publicly disclosing the amount and purpose of each such supplemental payment to the Insurance Commissioner.
M.G.L. Chapter 176O, section 9A; added by section 39 of Chapter 288 of the Acts of 2010