Auggust 3, 2017 Page 3 Should Los Angeles Football Fans Choose the Rams as Their Team? By Adam Serrao Since the Rams packed up their bags and headed west for Los Angeles, it has been no secret that they have failed to incite excitement within their newfound fan base. A far cry from “The Greatest Show on Turf” that used to call St. Louis home, the Los Angeles Rams have been subpar so far, to say the least. Whether it has been management moves, coaching decisions, or simply just a roster full of bad players, the Rams debuted in Los Angeles with a 4-12 season last year, failing to excite a city that has been salivating for football ever since the Rams (and the Raiders) left after the 1994 regular season. This year’s Rams team is obviously still not a Super Bowl contender. They should be better, however, and in doing so will manage to give Los Angeles fans more of a reason to feel proud to enjoy football once again. Last year’s Rams fan base crowded the Coliseum in Los Angeles for many reasons, but none of those reasons were because the Rams were actually good at football. Whether it was because it was the first year that the game was back in L.A. or simply because Sundays are meant for watching the NFL, Los Angeles had the second best home attendance in the entire league last season. Ineffectiveness has its own way of keeping fans away, especially when a second team (the Chargers) makes itself available to the masses and moves into the area. Rams fans shouldn’t scare easily, though, because this year’s team plans on being much better the second time around. This year’s Rams roster could boast as many as 10 new starters when the NFL season begins. Those new starters will be most easily recognized on the offensive side of the ball and specifically under center. Though quarterback Jared Goff eventually made a few starts once head coach Jeff Fisher got fired, he didn’t start the season as the main signal-caller of the team. This year should bring with it added responsibility for Goff, which will either make or break the quarterback’s future with the team. Goff was in an awkward spot last season with uncertainty surrounding the entire organization and a cross-country move that had just taken place. This year, Goff is in charge and it’s time for the former number one overall pick the in draft to take control of the franchise. Not only will many of the starters be new to the team, but Sean McVay is entering his first year as a head coach in the NFL. McVay has tabbed new wide receiver Robert Wood as a perfect fit for his offensive system. Woods used to play at USC, so at least he’ll be used to the scenery. He has yet to catch more than 65 passes in a season, but seems destined to do so in his first year in Los Angeles. The Rams also beefed up their offensive line this offseason, which was a major liability one season ago. Look for Toddy Gurley and the running game to become much better this year than last with the additions of left tackle Andrew Whitworth and center John Sullivan. Rookie wide receiver Cooper Kupp and second-year tight end Tyler Higbee will also look to add depth to a passing game that lost Kenny Britt, but still looked absolutely anemic last year on the football field. On the defensive side of the ball the Rams have welcomed in outside linebacker Connor Barwin, who most recently played with the Philadelphia Eagles but had his best season in Houston under new Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. Phillips is also bringing over Kayvon Webster from the Denver Broncos to compete with E.J. Gaines for the starting spot at cornerback opposite Trumaine Johnson. Any addition to a defense that is already lethal and features the likes of Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn is a good move. The defensive side of the ball won’t necessarily be a problem that the Rams will struggle with this season. It was no question that the Rams needed to shake things up on the roster after a fourwin season in a very competitive NFC West division. Los Angeles has done its part to strengthen the roster with new coaches McVay and Phillips plus a relatively new offensive line. That same offensive line is what will be instrumental to the team’s success and Goff’s growth as an NFL quarterback. As the line goes, so goes Gurley, the running game and Goff--with what little passing attack he presumably has. New players don’t necessarily mean more wins for the Rams. A starting job for Goff doesn’t mean that he’ll necessarily be good either. But a fresh start for everyone involved should only help to improve what was an agonizing second half of the season last year. The Rams are 13 years removed from the playoffs and 14 years removed from their last winning season. Now is the time to show that they are on course for a future playoff appearance. The team may not have what it takes to beat out their divisional opponents this season, but they can certainly begin to make a mark on the league and on the city of Los Angeles before another team bolts in and steals their thunder. Asixlion@earthlink.net • Billing Law Rewards Patients for Doing the Right Thing By Rob McCarthy Patients covered under a health plan can no longer be billed for out-of-network fees by a hospital, lab or imaging center if the consumer did everything correctly and went to an in-network provider. A new California law that took effect on July 1 shields consumers from surprise medical bills from facilities that used an out-of-network doctor or specialist. No longer are consumers in privately managed health plans responsible for the overcharges. The California Department of Managed Health Care this month welcomed the patientprotection measure, which state lawmakers approved last year and Governor Jerry Brown signed into law. It takes the consumer out of the middle of any billing dispute between a healthcare facility and a health insurance plan for out-of-network charges, which patients were responsible for paying in the past. Consumer groups charged that the billing practice was unfair. The consumer protections included in Assembly Bill 72 should reduce surprise bills for seven in 10 Californians. The law won’t end the practice known as “balance billing” for everyone. The new protections don’t apply to Medi-Cal, Medicare or those on a self-insured health plan, according to the state’s healthcare authority. Healthcare consumers with an eligible plan can only be charged for their share of in-network costs when they remain in their network, regardless of who delivered the care. Surprise bills typically are generated by hospital stays, visits to diagnostic labs and imaging centers, without the knowledge or consent of the patient. “This means when you go to a healthcare facility like a hospital or a lab in your health plan network and end up with a doctor who is not in your health plan network, they cannot charge you more than you would have to pay for an in-network doctor,” said an announcement by the Department of Managed Health Care, or DMHC. In the event a surprise bill shows up in the mail, the DMHC says consumers should file a complaint with their health plan and include a copy of the bill. “Your health plan will review the grievance and should tell the provider to stop billing you,” the state’s healthcare regulator advised. If the health plan takes more than 30 days to respond or a consumer isn’t satisfied with the response, then file a complaint with the department. The department accepts complaints by phone at 888-466-2219 or online at its website, www.HealthHelp.ca.gov. The California Association of Health Underwriters last fall supported passage of the consumer protection measure. The trade association represents 2,000 health insurance agents and brokers who respond to tens of thousands of phone calls per year about outof network billings, according to the group. Its top leader believes the high number of billing disputes that his members must referee will decline starting this month. Association President Rick Coburn said, “The reason we support AB 72 is that our licensed, certified health insurance agents are usually the ones the consumer calls first asking for help to investigate, and then deal with, outof network charges and balance billing.” The measure had bipartisan support of Democrats and Republicans in Sacramento, and was the top legislative priority for health insurance agents in 2016, according to the group. The new law also restricts the amount an out-of-network provider can bill for patient services. Another name for them in the insurance billing industry is non-contracted providers. The new restriction does not forbid a patient from seeing a doctor or specialist outside a plan’s network of approved providers. Going outside an HMO or PPO network of approved doctors and medical practices is still permitted, but with the patient’s knowledge and consent that additional charges will be incurred. Written consent must be given at least 24 hours before the appointment. Surprise bills usually follow a procedure at a surgical center or a hospital stay that is done at an in-network facility where the anesthesiologist who assisted was not in the patient’s health plan network. The anesthesiologist sends a bill to the consumer, who didn’t approve using a non-contracted team member, thus triggering a dispute. Tests at labs and imaging centers can also be a source of unexpected charges when the doctor who reads the test results is outside the network. His bill marks a milestone for California healthcare consumers, says Oakland Assemblyman Rob Bonta. “When patients do everything correctly by staying within their health networks when they seek medical care, they shouldn’t get hit with a surprise bill that is often in the hundreds or thousands of dollars,” he said. As of July 1, California now has the strongest consumer protection in the nation against surprise medical charges that patients in some reported cases rang up even after they told hospital admissions and staff they only wanted to be treated in-network. The new law isn’t retroactive, so those patients have no choice but to fight the bills and hope the uncontracted doctor will reverse the charges or lower the bill amount using a new formula. A non-network doctor may charge a patient either 125 percent of the amount Medicare reimburses for the procedure or at the health plan’s established rate. The provider can choose whichever rate is highest. Unauthorized medical charges due to outof network doctors is widespread across the nation, according to Consumer Reports. The consumer advocacy group found that nearly one-third of patients said they received a surprise medical bill for healthcare. Nearly one-fifth of emergency room visits resulted in unexpected charges, a Yale University team found. “Even with all the uncertainty about healthcare coming out of Washington, Sacramento is providing some more security for patients, who should now no longer get surprise out-of-network bills when they go to an in-network hospital or other facility” said Anthony Wright, executive director with Health Access California, one of the co-sponsors of the new law. • Burkley Brandlin Swatik & Keesey LLP AT T O R N E Y S AT L AW Lifetime El Segundo Residents Living Trusts/Wills, Probate, Employment Law, Personal Injury Trust and Estates Litigation, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation 310-540-6000 *AV Rated (Highest) Martindale - Hubbell / **Certified Specialist Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law, State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization
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