At least three-fourths of Americans believe the federal government should protect patients from being on the hook for the cost of unplanned out-of-network healthcare, including emergency care and out-of-network treatment from physicians or specialists, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll.
The April poll of about 1,200 U.S. adults found that 78 percent of respondents believe the federal government should act to stop surprise medical bills when patients are taken to an emergency room by an out-of-network ambulance.
Seventy-eight percent of respondents also said the federal government should stop such bills when patients are taken to an out-of-network emergency room during a medical emergency.
Seventy-six percent of respondents believe the federal government should protect patients from surprise medical bills when they go to a hospital that is in their insurance company's network but are treated by an out-of-network physician or specialist.
Access the full poll findings here.
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