A Washington mother is asking state lawmakers to support legislation to prevent patients from receiving surprise medical bills for out-of-network healthcare services, according to a KIRO 7 News report.
Jamie Hansen reportedly testified before the state House Health Care and Wellness Committee in support of Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler's proposed surprise billing legislation announced Jan. 22.
"One of the first things that struck me is how your hospital emergency room can be in network and the doctors providing care in that exact emergency room are not in network and therefore not covered at the same level, if at all," Ms. Hansen said.
Mr. Kreidler said in a news release that his proposal would bar out-of-network providers from sending surprise bills for a covered service at an in-network facility. He said the provider and insurers would have a chance to resolve their payment issue, but if a resolution isn't reached, the parties would move to arbitration and be prohibited from billing the patient.
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