WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND
By Scott Hennen
Host of “What’s On Your Mind?” Radio Show heard on KTGO-1090AM and KFYR-550AM
Co-owner of Flag Family Media and the McKenzie County Farmer
In my world, I regularly hear about how to keep healthcare affordable, especially health insurance. My audience talks about it. Families struggling to make ends meet talk about it too. That’s why a bill being considered in the North Dakota Legislature, HB 1416, caught my interest. This is one for you to pay attention to. The verbiage from the bill says it’s: A bill relating to freedom of choice for healthcare services. And it was repeated: Be It enacted by the legislative assembly of North Dakota ... Freedom of choice for health care services. That’s the fancy description. For me, it’s exactly the opposite. It’s removing a choice that allows consumers to save money on health insurance. That is a bad idea!
HB 1416 would allow any healthcare provider to join an insurance company’s narrow network, which is an important health insurance option for cost-conscious consumers who choose to see fewer providers, but pay a significantly lower monthly bill.