Families Need Congress to Stop Surprise Medical Bills Now - Families Usa Skip to Main Content

Families Need Congress to Stop Surprise Medical Bills Now

By Jane Sheehan, Claire McAndrew,

04.03.2019

For far too long, families have face unaffordable medical costs due to “surprise billing.” Surprise billing, also called surprise out-of-network balance billing, is a common problem when, through no fault of their own, families receive medical treatment from an out-of-network provider. The surprise comes in the form of doctor bills for the difference between what a provider charges and what the insurer pays that provider.

Congress is currently considering legislation to address this problem for families all over the country. This piece describes the legislation under consideration in Congress and Families USA’s recommendations for a Congressional fix to this problem.

Families USA believes surprise bill legislation should reflect two core principles: 1) protect consumers from surprise bills and 2) hold down overall health care costs. In this piece we provide recommendations for how federal legislation should achieve these principles and urge Congress to pass legislation to stop surprise medical bills this year.