Mississippi lawmakers consider requests for stricter distracted driving laws, portable benefits

Mississippi lawmakers consider requests. Mississippi lawmakers consider requests for stricter distracted driving laws, portable benefits.

Key points

• The Mississippi Senate Insurance Committee heard requests for legislation this week from optometrists, pharmacists, EMS providers, and proponents of 1099 workers.
• The Mississippi Senate Insurance Committee is preparing for the potential introduction of a number of bills as the 2027 legislative session nears.
• Weiske with the National Association of Vision Care Intends argued that vision aims are regulated and asked the Legislature to ensure continued competition in the market.
• "They're shopping on the phone, they're face timing on the phone, they're streaming movies on the phone, " AAA Public Affairs Specialist Don Redmond remarked.
• States such as Kentucky have passed similar laws, leading to either no growth in policies or a nominal rise of 0.03%.

For context, the Mississippi Senate Insurance Committee heard requests for legislation this week from optometrists, pharmacists, EMS providers, and proponents of 1099 workers.

For context, the Mississippi Senate Insurance Committee is preparing for the potential introduction of a number of bills as the 2027 legislative session nears.

Two days of hearings this week covered topics such as vision intends, distracted driving, ambulance services, and how insurance businesses pay claims.

For more than a decade, smartphone employ has climbed the instances of distracted driving and the associated collisions that occur.

Mississippi has had distracted driving laws in place since 2015, with those laws amended over the years to prohibit the drivers from sending texts and emails as well as using social media. Enforcement, nevertheless, is not consistent.

Today, lawmakers were informed that motorists see the eyes of too numerous oncoming drivers focused on a screen instead of the road.

Mississippians have been discovered to spend 8% of their time behind the wheel using a smartphone, putting the state at the bottom of the national ranking.

Data collected by Cambridge Mobile Telematics, a firm that provides insurance businesses with underlying technology applied in their smartphone applications to track driver habits and in turn offer safety discounts, indicates Mississippi's habits are not improving. The data demonstrates that Mississippi drivers spend two minutes and eight seconds per hour moving their phone for one reason or another, 31% higher than the national average.

Phone motion data indicates the device is being picked up or rotated while the vehicle is in employ.

"It captures motion even when the screen isn't touched, such as answering a call, checking notifications or just handling the phone for any purpose, " Redmond explained.

If the state could bring that statistic in line with the national average, Redmond estimates 15 vehicle collision-related deaths could be prevented.

"It is estimated that distracted driving contributed to 60% of the state's traffic fatalities, " Redmond continued.

To address the matter, he proposed a law similar to one passed in Ohio. It prevents a person from handling, propping up or using the phone to record videos while operating a vehicle. Hands free employ of headphones, bluetooth devices or the vehicle's infotainment system to answer calls would continue to be permitted. These restrictions would offer law enforcement more leverage to enforce the law.

"Nationally, nearly 10 people a day are killed by a distracted driver, " Redmond remarked.

Redmond additionally asked the Senate committee to consider a change to the state's Move Over law by adding stranded motorists and vehicles parked on the roadside for emergencies such as a flat tire. The current law pertains to law enforcement, emergency responders and tow truck drivers.

"It's a very dangerous place to be on the side of the road, " Redmond remarked. "We lose two people a month due to secondary crashes on the side of the road." Pharmacists Ask for Fair Payments.

Lawmakers were informed that pharmacists throughout Mississippi are providing services without insurance compensation that other medical professionals can bill.

Members of the Mississippi Pharmacy Association asked the Senate committee to revive the pharmacist care services payment bill so they can be paid for the full scope of the services they provide. Similar bills introduced over the course of the past three years failed to cross the governor's desk.

Mississippi Pharmacy Association Executive Director Dr. Mona Arnold-McBride remarked the bill they are proposing will not expand a pharmacist's scope, add covered benefits or affect self-funded employer aims under ERISA.

Dr. Buddy Ogletree, a pharmacist with four decades of experience, remarked some of the services not covered under insurance aims include teaching someone how to employ an inhaler or providing chronic disease management.

"If somebody goes to the doctor's office with asthma and they get a new inhaler, if the nurse at the doctor's office trains them how to use that inhaler, that can be billed to insurance and get paid, " Ogletree described. "Now I can't tell you how many times I have trained a patient on how to use an inhaler at the drug store but I don't get paid." He clarified that Medicaid does pay pharmacists for chronic disease management.

Committee members cited the vagueness of language in previous versions of the bill for its failure to become law, and asked the association to come back with a list of regarding 10 services they provide not at present covered by insurance along with the anticipated increases in insurance premiums and the revenue a pharmacist would receive.

Another topic covered by the Senate committee was vision intends. It are described as the Groupon of vision care by Dr. Steven Reed, an optometrist practicing in the Magee area.

He contends that vision intends are not regulated in the same manner as a typical health insurance plan, leading to some unattractive operational practices. According to Reed, that unregulated nature allows vision intends control over the types of lenses and frames a patient can obtain under their plan, numerous times forcing them to pay extra for the frames and lenses they really want.

"Patients think when you have a vision plan that everything is covered and they're going to get a pair of glasses or whatever they need, " Reed remarked. "Well, the truth is they're limited."

Additionally, Reed remarked that patients under a vision plan can be steered toward a certain eye care provider, specifically those willing to play ball with that particular business.

He recalled an instance when a patient in his chair received a text message from their plan provider reminding them they could purchase their glasses from the company's preferred retail outlet, instead of Reed's business.

"So literally they are stealing patients out of our examination chairs, and I can show proof of that, " Reed remarked.

While Reed has a lab in his business, patients are being advised to employ labs associated with the plan provider. It only increases the time it takes for a patient to actually secure their hands on the eyewear.

Due to these problems, Reed stated he typically does not participate in vision intends, save for one that pays "just a hair over half of what Medicaid pays" his practice.

For context, the Senate committee was asked to consider legislation similar to what the states of Arkansas and Louisiana have put in place. New laws in those states seek to ensure fair reimbursements for care, ban unfair audits, provide payment protection, and prohibit virtual credit card fees.

Before leaving the podium, Reed advised the committee to "protect the doctor patient relationship, " and predicted someone from out-of-state would advise the committee to hold off on any changes.

J.P. Weiske with the National Association of Vision Care Intends argued that vision aims are regulated and asked the Legislature to ensure continued competition in the market.

"It's our view that the Legislature should not become the negotiating agent for one side of a private business relationship, " Weiske stated. "That doesn't create a whole lot of sense. It certainly circumvents the market."

As for employ of their labs, Weiske stated that the labs provide vision plan holders with lower costs.

Weiske did admit the need for discussions regarding patients receiving texts while in a medical provider's chair.

Claim denials are negatively affecting the medical practices in the state, lawmakers were informed.

In short, mississippi lawmakers consider requests for stricter distracted driving laws, portable benefits is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.