Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed a proposed law that would have allowed Missouri doctors to charge their low-income patients late fees for missed appointments.
The idea was part of a package of health care-related legislation approved by the Republican-led Legislature this spring. It includes a separate plan requiring participants in the state’s Medicaid program to pay an $8 copayment fee when they use a hospital emergency room for the treatment of a non-emergency condition.
Supporters said the ideas could save the state money by nudging patients into cheaper treatment alternatives. And, the plan could avoid lost time and revenue caused by missed appointments.
Nixon, a Democrat, however, said the proposals would hurt the poor. “Senate Bill 608 would needlessly punish our state’s most vulnerable citizens without improving access to care or bringing Missourians’ tax dollars back to Missouri,” the governor said in his veto message.
The measure, sponsored by Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville, would have allowed Medicaid providers to impose a missed appointment fee on MO HealthNet patients who miss or fail to cancel 24 hours in advance.
It also would allow providers to refuse to schedule new appointments until the missed appointment fee is paid. The charge for the first missed appointment is $5, the second is $10 and the third is $20.
Democratic lawmakers opposed the measure and healthcare experts said the fee is unlikely to win approval from the federal government.
Matt Salo, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, earlier said the federal government has never approved a policy allowing for financial penalties for missed appointments.
Lawmakers could attempt to override Nixon’s veto during the September veto session. Missouri is among states that failed to approve a health exchange under the Affordable Care Act of 2010.