BISMARCK – The North Dakota State House on Monday overrode Governor Doug Burgum’s veto of House Bill 1416.
The bill sought to prohibit health insurers from excluding a health care provider from participating on the health insurer’s panel.
Burgum’s reasoning for vetoing the bill was read to the assembly.
“Currently North Dakota has only one health care assistant that offers both health care services as a provider and health insurance plans as a payer, and therefore meets the bill’s definition of an integrated delivery network,” Burgum wrote. “House Bill 1416 targets only one health insurance plan offered in North Dakota and directly risks increasing health insurance costs for over 13,000 North Dakotans.”
“House Bill 1416 is not a special or local law,” said Majority Leader Rep. Mike Lefor, R-Dis. 37, Dickinson, in response to the governor’s message. “House Bill 1416 is a general law as it applies to integrated delivery networks, and just by the fact that we only have one integrated delivery network does not make it, quote, a special law, therefore there will be no litigation. This bill is about patient choice and providing more provider options.”
The bill passed the House again 90 to 0 and it will be sent to the Senate for consideration. If the Senate passes the bill by a two-thirds vote or more the bill will become law.
