These days, more often than not, physicians and up on the short end of the stick when it comes to new health care legislation. However, last month a bill was introduced by Senator David Argall which, if passed, would give physicians and other healthcare providers important protection against retroactive insurance denials. Specifically, Senate Bill No. 554 would limit the period during which insurance companies could retroactively deny payment to 12 months after the date of the original payment. This would mean that if a payor makes payment on a claim, it would have only 12 months to later seek to recoup that payment if coverage is retroactively denied. The only time this rule would not apply as if the claim is fraudulent or improperly coded. The bill, which has been referred to the Banking and Insurance Committee can be viewed on the Pennsylvania Senate website.