U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids will introduce legislation Nov. 18 that aims to address surprise medical bills by instituting requirements for health plan provider directories.
The proposal — called the Insurance Accountability and Transparency Act — would require private insurers to update their directories of physicians, hospitals or other in-network providers at least once every six months, according to the representative's office.
"When Kansans look to see if a doctor or hospital is in-network from their insurance company, they expect and depend on that information to be accurate, so they can make decisions about care for themselves and their families. But right now, too many folks are unknowingly relying on inaccurate information — and are paying the price in surprise medical bills," said Ms. Davids.
She said the overall goal of the legislation is to improve transparency about out-of-network care, so patients don't unintentionally receive an out-of-network bill.
Read the full legislation here.
More articles on healthcare finance:
For-profit hospital stock report: Week ending Nov. 15
340B hospitals provided below-average rates of charity care, report finds
Company in federal surprise billing debate to staff 2 Maine hospital ERs