Proposed Senate Legislation Would Aim To Curb Sky-High Surprise Medical Bills
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), would prevent a provider who is outside the patient's coverage from -- in emergency situations -- charging more than what would be covered by the insurer.
The Hill:
Bipartisan Senators Unveil Proposal To Crack Down On Surprise Medical Bills
A bipartisan group of senators is unveiling a draft measure to crack down on surprise medical bills, which they say have plagued patients with massive unexpected charges for care. The measure would prevent a health care provider that is outside of a patient’s insurance network from charging additional costs for emergency services to patients beyond the amount usually allowed under their insurance plan. (Sullivan, 9/18)
And a look at why those bills are so high —
The Wall Street Journal:
Behind Your Rising Health-Care Bills: Secret Hospital Deals That Squelch Competition
Last year, Cigna Corp. and the New York hospital system Northwell Health discussed developing an insurance plan that would offer low-cost coverage by excluding some other health-care providers, according to people with knowledge of the matter. It never happened. The problem was a separate contract between Cigna and NewYork-Presbyterian, the powerful hospital operator that is a Northwell rival. Cigna couldn’t find a way to work around restrictive language that blocked it from selling any plans that didn’t include NewYork-Presbyterian, according to the people. (Wilde Mathews, 9/18)