In an opinion piece published by USA Today, White House Domestic Policy Director Joe Grogan called on Congress to return to Washington, D.C., next month ready to vote on surprise-billing legislation.
Congress has been working for months on legislation to protect patients from surprise medical bills, which occur when a patient unintentionally receives out-of-network care in emergency situations or at in-network hospitals. Currently, two pieces of legislation have emerged as the primary solutions under consideration.
While Mr. Grogan praised congressional efforts, he called on lawmakers to keep patients in mind in December and not be swayed by private equity-backed companies.
"Now it's time for Congress to act. Congress has taken the first steps to answer the call — the Senate HELP Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee have reported out bills addressing surprise billing," he wrote. "Now, lawmakers, while you're at home eating turkey and watching football, I ask that you change the channel when the private equity ads come on. Instead, listen to real Americans who are being hurt by special interests and come back to Washington in December ready to vote to protect patients from surprise medical bills."
Read Mr. Grogan's full letter here.