Legislators at the state and federal level are introducing legislation to prohibit or significantly limit surprise medical billing of patients. These instances occur when a policyholder unknowingly uses the services of an out-of-network provider, such as when the patient is taken to an out-of-network provider during an emergency or when a provider uses lab services not included in the network, and then receives a substantial bill from the provider to recoup costs not covered by the patient’s insurer. One recent study indicates that approximately 57% of Americans have been hit with a surprise medical bill
AHIP, the trade association representing the health insurance carriers, is leading a coalition of health insurers, employers, and consumer organizations asking Congress to pass legislation that protects health insurance policyholders from surprise and costly medical bills from out-of-network providers. Congress is now considering legislation to address this critical issue.
AHIP prepared a policy statement supporting federal legislation that would prohibit out-of-network providers from billing patients for costs not covered by the patient’s health insurance plan when the out-of-network visit is not the fault of the patient.
NAIFA supports the AHIP efforts and endorses AHIP’s policy statement.