OKLAHOMA CITY – House Bill 1853 introduced by Rep. Suzanne Schreiber, D-Tulsa, and co-authored by Sen. Avery Frix, R-Muskogee, would expand deductibles to include cash payments for out-of-pocket medical services. The bill passed unanimously out of the Insurance Committee.

“It’s common sense that any medical service payment – no matter the payment type – should go toward insured patients’ deductibles. Currently, if a patient pays out-of-pocket for a medical service because they have found a cheaper provider, it is excluded from their health insurance deductible,” Schreiber said. “This is a simple incentive for Oklahomans to find lower cost care. As it stands, insured consumers have two options: go through their insurance or cash-pay. This new law would merge the two and reduce healthcare costs overall.”

“The cost of healthcare weighs heavily on all Oklahomans, often forcing them to make tough decisions between whether to pay a bill or seek care – that’s not right. We must do better, and this bill is a step in the right direction,” Schreiber said.

If enacted, Oklahoma would join Texas and Tennessee in leading the country in innovative ways to empower patients, promote cost transparency, and reform the healthcare marketplace.