GA| The Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance OCI announces changes to the Consumer Access to Contracted Healthcare (CATCH) Act reporting requirements for insurers offering health plans in Georgia, effective March 1, 2025. Insurers must now submit annual CATCH Reports demonstrating compliance with updated quantitative time, distance, and appointment wait time standards for provider networks, as set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, ensuring adequate access to both general and mental health services within each plan’s service area. The directive also clarifies filing instructions and outlines the process for addressing noncompliance, including consideration of mitigating factors such as provider availability and service area shortages.
Key Points:
- Insurers must annually file quantitative data proving their provider networks meet federal standards for time, distance, and appointment wait times, guaranteeing access to all covered services, including mental health and substance use disorder care, within each county-based service area.
- The directive details the submission process and specifies that, if found noncompliant, insurers will be notified and given reasons, with the Commissioner considering factors like provider shortages and insurers’ good faith efforts before requiring corrective actions.