California Supreme Court Rules Physicians Cannot Balance Bill HMO Patients

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the California Supreme Court has ruled that physicians cannot "balance bill" patients whose health maintenance organizations (HMOs) have underpaid for care, and that the physicians can only seek redress from the insurer. The decision was praised by consumer groups, but a spokesperson for the California Medical Association stated that a ban on billing patients would shift costs from HMOs to physicians, some of whom might end their affiliations with emergency departments.