Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle are expressing interest in addressing the problem of surprise balance billing: when insured individuals receive unexpected medical bills from providers for services for which they believe they are insured.
Surprise balance bills have been a problem for years, with a number of proposals offered in the past to address the problem. Now, bipartisan support for a solution appears to be growing in Congress.
In a new report, the journal Health Affairs describes the issue, outlines balance billing proposals offered in the recent past, and describes the challenges members of Congress now face while trying to balance the needs of consumers, insurers, and providers. See the report “Federal Policy To End Surprise Billing: Building On Prior Approaches” for more.