[TheMercenary]

Obama administration delaying some rules for appealing health insurance denials

The Obama administration is delaying until next January its enforcement of some new rules designed to protect patients who appeal insurers' decisions to deny or reduce health care benefits.

In the meantime, the Labor Department said in a posting on its website that it will revise the requirements to deal with objections raised by insurers. These rules were mandated by the health care law, and federal officials had earlier said they would start enforcing them in July.

The delays were defended by the administration and the insurance industry but worry consumer advocates.

Among the rules now on hold are:

-- A reduction in the amount of time an insurance company is allowed to review a denial of coverage in urgent cases, from no more than 72 hours to 24 hours.

-- A requirement that insurers provide information about the denial and how to appeal in appropriate language for non-English speaking beneficiaries.

-- A requirement that insurers must provide consumers with specific details, which would include diagnostic codes used by doctors, hospitals and insurers, about what treatment isn't covered and why.

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-...,2873291.story