The House Ways and Means Committee on Feb. 12 unanimously approved surprise billing legislation that has widespread support in the healthcare industry.
The Consumer Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills Act prohibits providers from balance billing patients at in-network facilities, requires payers to provide cost estimates and network status information ahead of scheduled procedures, and lays out a framework for an independent, outside arbitration process.
The bill has support from many major healthcare associations, including the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, the Federation of American Hospitals, America's Essential Hospitals and the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Another piece of legislation that addresses surprise medical bills, the Ban Surprise Billing Act, was introduced in the House Committee on Education and Labor last week.
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