Voters Want to End Surprise Medical Billing: Insights from Voter Research

Receiving a surprise bill for out-of-network medical care is a common experience. Our national survey found that 44% of voters have received surprise bills for out-of-network care, and they said it was difficult to pay these bills (68%) or that they couldn’t pay the bills at all (11%). In a focus group of nine rural voters in Steelville, Missouri, we found seven had received surprise medical bills, and for some, their bills totaled in the thousands of dollars. Most could not pay their bills, and this damaged their credit. This guide highlights the public opinion data on voters’ stance on surprise medical bills, as well as information about how voters understand and talk about them. Click the button below to download the fact sheet.