NEW LIFE FOR ANY WILLING PROVIDER LAW

The Arkansas Senate approved legislation that would revive Arkansas’ Any Willing Provider law, adopted a decade ago to allow Arkansans covered by managed-care health insurance plans to see the doctor of their choice.

The Senate approved two bills, SB 43 and SB 44, which would require insurers to accept any physician into their networks, as long as the physician agreed to the terms and conditions of the insurance network. A report on the Senate Web site said the bills are similar to a Kentucky law that underwent a legal challenge and was upheld by the U. S. Supreme Court. The bills were sent to the House Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor.

The Associated Press reported the original law, adopted in 1995, has been tied up in court since its passage, after Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield secured a court injunction halting its implementation.