Here are seven recent articles about surprise medical bills:
1. About one of every six emergency room visits and inpatient hospital stays for patients with large employer plans resulted in at least one out-of-network medical bill in 2017, according to a study from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
2. Senate health committee leaders on June 19 introduced a bipartisan legislative package that protects patients from surprise medical bills by banning out-of-network deductibles in emergencies, establishing a benchmark for health plan-provider payment disputes and ending unexpected air ambulance expenses.
3. Federal lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been working together on legislation to end surprise medical bills. Click here for three comments from lawmakers on the issue.
4. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearingJune 18 on bipartisan legislation to end surprise medical bills. Click here for five takeaways.
5. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation June 14 to end surprise medical bills for out-of-pocket costs after emergency or unplanned healthcare services.
6. Health insurance groups such as America's Health Insurance Plans and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association joined a coalition in support of surprise-billing solutions.
7. The House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee held a surprise-billing hearing June 12. Click here for eight takeaways.
More articles on healthcare finance:
How the Senate proposal to reduce healthcare costs would address transparency
Senate surprise-billing proposal features payment benchmark
55% of Texans report difficulty affording healthcare, poll finds