Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Democrats, Republicans Unite Against Much-Hated Surprise Medical Bills At Hearing In Rare Bipartisan Battle
The Wall Street Journal: Congress Looks To Tackle Surprise Medical Bills
A push to curb surprise medical bills has found support among both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill but also ignited a fight within the health-care industry over how far the federal government should go in regulating prices. While President Trump and members of Congress are sharply divided over U.S. health-care policy more broadly, they have largely come together over the need to tackle surprise bills, which can leave patients with thousands of dollars in unexpected charges. The House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing Tuesday on protecting patients from surprise charges. (Armour, 4/2)
CQ: House Panel Weighs Policies To Stop Surprise Medical Bills
Lawmakers on both sides of the dais at the House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions said they hope to tackle the subject this year. A bipartisan group of senators is also working on the issue and is expected to release updated draft legislation in the coming months. The issue is one that is widely expected to be an area where a bipartisan agreement could emerge, although lawmakers have not yet coalesced around a specific policy solution. “Health care has not recently been an area of bipartisan consensus,” said Subcommittee Chairwoman Frederica S. Wilson, D-Texas. “I am hopeful that this is an opportunity for us to work together on behalf of our constituents. Surely we can all agree that a patient should not have to spend the last few minutes before emergency surgery researching whether everyone in the operating room is in network.” (McIntire, 4/2)
Modern Healthcare: House Panel Puts Hospitals And Specialists On The Spot For Surprise Bills
As the hearing wrapped up, the American Hospital Association, the Federation of American Hospitals and the American Medical Association sent a letter to Committee Chair Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.). They stated groups' support for legislation to limit patients' bills to their in-network co-pays but urged lawmakers to keep it simple. AHA's Executive Vice President Tom Nickels noted the panel's criticisms of hospitals and said it was "unfortunate" there weren't any providers on the panel "to be able to address those issues." "One reason we sent the letter today, though not the only reason, was to get our view of the issues out there," he said. (Luthi, 4/2)
Kaiser Health News: Fixing Surprise Medical Bill Problem Shouldn’t Fall To Consumers, Panel Told
One point drew clear agreement Tuesday during a House subcommittee hearing: When it comes to the problem of surprise medical bills, the solution must protect patients — not demand that they be great negotiators. “It is the providers and insurers, not patients, who should bear the burden of settling on a fair payment,” said Frederick Isasi, the executive director of Families USA. He was one of the witnesses who testified before the House Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions subcommittee of the Education & Labor Committee. (Bluth, 4/2)
