May18,2000

The Honorable Casper R. Taylor, Jr.
Speaker of the House
State House
Annapolis MD 21401

Dear Mr. Speaker:

In accordance with Article II, Section 17 of the Maryland Constitution, I have today vetoed House Bill 305 - Health Insurance - Retroactive Denial of Reimbursement to Health Care Providers.

This bill prohibits a carrier that has not complied with retroactive denial time frames from retroactively denying "reimbursement" to a provider in any manner unless a health care provider submitted fraudulent or improperly coded information to the carrier, or in the case of improper coding, the carrier had provided its coding guidelines at least 30 days prior to the date services were rendered. The bill defines reimbursement to mean a payment made to a health care provider by a carrier, whether on a fee-for-service, capitated, or premium basis. The bill also applies to retroactive denials of reimbursement made on or after October 1, 2000.

Senate Bill 274, which was passed by the General Assembly and signed by me on May 11, 2000, accomplishes the same purpose. Therefore, it is not necessary for me to sign House Bill 305.

Sincerely,
Parris N. Glendening
Governor