Ohio Passes Antidiscrimination Provision for CRNA Reimbursement
Client Alert
The passage of Ohio House Bill 96 (HB 96), which sets forth the state’s operating budget, includes important legislation regarding certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). Health benefit plans will soon be required to pay CRNAs at the same reimbursement rate as their physician counterparts for performing the same service. The new law seeks to promote patient access to care by prohibiting discrimination against CRNAs acting within the scope of their licensure. In recent years, CRNAs have faced payment discrimination from certain insurers who reduced their reimbursement rate from 100% to 85%, or who prohibited CRNA reimbursement altogether, based on their status as non-physician practitioners. Meanwhile, physician anesthesiologists are reimbursed at 100% for providing the same care.
Advocates for provider nondiscrimination have argued that discrimination based on provider licensure keeps patients from accessing the care they need. Ohio’s new law is an attempt to remedy this barrier to patient care while ensuring CRNAs are paid equally for performing the same tasks as physician anesthesiologists.
Ohio joins several other states who have enacted similar legislation for payment equality among providers rendering the same service including Maine[1], Virginia[2], Delaware[3], and New Hampshire[4]. This legislation does not prevent insurers from establishing variable reimbursement rates based on quality or performance measures. The new law will go into effect on September 30, 2025.
If you have any questions about the impact of HB 96 on CRNA reimbursement, please contact BMD Member Jeana Singleton at jmsingleton@bmdllc.com or Attorney Kate Crawford at khcrawford@bmdllc.com.