Legislation Must Reduce Occurrence of “Surprise Bills” and Not Raise Premiums
WASHINGTON, May 13, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Business Group on Health (The Business Group) applauds the President and the Administration for recognizing the need to curb “surprise billing” and Congress’ efforts to find a solution that protects patients while also not raising health care costs. The Business Group agrees patients should not receive surprise bills from out-of-network providers they did not choose—whether it is for emergency care or for care they receive at in-network hospitals or other in-network facilities.
Employers cover more than 181 million Americans, and many already protect their employees and their families from surprise bills and assist and advocate on behalf of their employees to reduce or eliminate these bills when they happen1. Still, surprise bills remain a concern.
As Congress and the Administration address the issue, the Business Group, along with other employer associations, outlined a set of principles that would protect all consumers from higher health care costs and would not discourage physicians from participating in networks. The Business Group also believes that hospitals and other facilities should play a central role in protecting patients. Hospitals can reduce the likelihood that the physicians they contract with to perform core services (e.g. emergency, anesthesia, radiology, and pathology services) do not charge patients and plans who rely on their in-network status more than what they would pay in-network.
“Health care is already complicated and costly enough. Patients shouldn’t be receiving surprise bills from doctors they don’t choose when they go to a hospital in their insurance network or when they have an emergency,” said Brian Marcotte, President and CEO of the National Business Group on Health.
About the National Business Group on Health®
The National Business Group on Health is the nation’s only non-profit organization devoted exclusively to representing large employers’ perspective on national health policy issues and helping companies optimize business performance through health improvement, innovation and health care management. The Business Group leads initiatives to address the most relevant health care issues facing employers today and enables human resource and benefit leaders to learn, share and leverage best practices from the most progressive companies. Business Group members, which include 74 Fortune 100 companies, provide health coverage for more than 50 million U.S. workers, retirees and their families. For more information, visit www.businessgrouphealth.org.
1 National Business Group on Health. Quick Survey Findings: Surprise Billing for Out-of-Network Medical Claims Data, January 2019