Process For Adopting Managed-Care Regulations Extended

For the next few years, "managed care will be the major concern in health insurance," according to US Insurance Commissioner Deborah Senn, who has rescheduled adoption of new managed-care health insurance regulations in order to redraft some of the proposals and make sure all sectors of health care and the public have adequate opportunity to review the new rules. The rules project started early-1996 as a first try at retooling existing health insurance regulations.

Ms Senn said the new schedule would allow for further refinement of the rules, adding that at least two of the subchapters, those dealing with health care networks and disclosure requirements, will be substantially rewritten to address issues raised by consumers and insurers.

The new schedule for the rules includes target adoption dates of: - April 1997 for subchapters dealing with provider contracts, health service delivery, claim settlement, dispute resolutions and grievance procedures; - fall 1997 for the subchapters dealing with consolidation of current regulations on health benefits and for two subchapters dealing with health care networks, disclosure and reporting.