WASHINGTON, DC – This week, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions HELP Committee leaders threw their support behind the market-based benchmark the House Energy and Commerce Committee has championed to resolve out-of-network payment disputes. This is a key development, as Congress zeroes in on an enduring solution to protect patients from surprise medical bills. With the Senate acknowledging the strength of the bipartisan No Surprises Act payment mechanishm, introduced by Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR), Congress is poised to act on an issue that impacts 1-in-6 Americans who make ER visits or check into hospitals.
Here’s What They Are Saying:
POLITICO: HELP Committee leaders back benchmark for ‘surprise’ billing: The benchmark is pegged to the median in-network rate for an area, the same approach advanced by House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders in a bipartisan discussion draft last month…Alexander in a statement acknowledged the change, noting that CBO indicated the benchmark approach is “the most effective at lowering health care costs.”
The Hill: Key senators release bipartisan package to lower health care costs: Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) released the package, which takes steps to protect patients from receiving massive “surprise” medical bills when they get care from an out-of-network doctor….The approach is similar to one proposed by bipartisan House committee leaders, Reps. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) and Greg Walden (R-Ore.), a sign that this option could move forward.
CQ: Senate health measure aligns with House’s on surprise bills: Leaders of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee unveiled legislation Wednesday that would ban surprise medical bills by requiring insurers and providers to negotiate payment using a benchmark rate….The panel leaders’ decision aligns it with the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s proposal in its own draft legislation.
Kaiser Health News: Sen. Alexander Details His Plan To Fix Surprise Medical Bills: Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who are pushing a major legislative package to lower health costs, announced their favored solution to handle disputes about surprise medical bills…Alexander also pointed out that Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), the ranking member of that committee, have also recommended this proposal.