SYRACUSE -- Physical therapists from around the state will be in Albany Tuesday to promote legislation which would put a cap on the amount of copays insurance companies require patients to pay for care. If passed by lawmakers, the bill would block insurers from imposing copays that exceed 20 percent of the cost of physical therapy services.
Physical therapists like Mary Lou Corcoran say copays have soared so high over the years that many patients can no longer afford physical therapy treatments.
"I've been in this business 30 years and over the past few years co-pays have become disproportionately high for most of our client base. In many cases we see 30, 40, 50, even 60 dollar copays. This is just far too expensive for patients who have to come for treatment multiple times per week," Corcoran says.
Physical therapists say in the past five years more and more insurers have shifted costs to patients by classifying physical therapy as a specialty service. Therapists say putting a twenty percent cap on the cost of copays could help reverse that trend and save patients more than $500 for the average treatment.
