Pelosi Tries To Bridge Gap Between Sides Of ‘Surprise Medical Bills’ Debate, But Falls Short Of A Breakthrough
Lawmakers in both parties are eager to move forward with legislation to address the issue that they see as an easy, but rare, bipartisan win. Progress has been slow, however, because they can't agree on a tactic for settling up the costs.
The Hill:
Pelosi's Staff Huddles With Aides In Both Parties On 'Surprise' Medical Billing
House aides in both parties met with Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) staff on Friday to try to bridge the gap between rival bills to protect patients from getting massive, “surprise” medical bills.But there was no breakthrough in the meeting, sources said. The gathering included Democratic and Republican staff members from the three House committees dealing with the issue: Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Education and Labor. Aides to Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) also participated in the meeting. (Sullivan, 2/14)
Modern Healthcare:
House Committees' Move Surprise Billing Legislation Ahead Of May Deadline
The spring landscape on surprise medical billing action in Congress is taking shape, as all three House committees with responsibility for the issue have advanced legislation. Two House panels and the Senate health committee have coalesced around an approach that would blend a benchmark payment for certain emergency services at out-of-network facilities or for out-of-network providers at in-network facilities with a limited arbitration backstop. The House Ways & Means Committee put forth an arbitration-only approach. Each has bipartisan support, as the issue does not divide lawmakers along traditional party lines. (Cohrs, 2/15)
Modern Healthcare:
White House Vague On Surprise Billing, Drug Pricing Bills
In President Donald Trump's final State of the Union address of his first term, he told Congress he would swiftly sign bipartisan drug-pricing legislation if lawmakers sent a bill to his desk. But Trump stopped short of a full endorsement of a major bipartisan drug-pricing deal brokered by Senate Finance Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). While he called upon Congress explicitly "to pass Senator [John] Barrasso's highway bill," by contrast Trump's comments on drug pricing left some wiggle room. (Cohrs, 2/18)
In other health care costs news —
The New York Times:
The Health System We’d Have If Economists Ran Things
Imagine if American health policy were established by the consensus of health economists. What would the system look like? A survey of nearly 200 Ph.D. health economists working in the United States provides some clues. The survey, presented at the American Society of Health Economists conference in Washington last summer, was conducted by the health economists John Cawley of Cornell University, Michael Morrisey of Texas A&M and Kosali Simon of Indiana University. (Frakt, 2/17)
Modern Healthcare:
Healthcare Bankruptcies Down From Last Year's High, But Don't Expect Full Rebound
Healthcare provider bankruptcies, while down from their peak a year ago, still far outpace overall bankruptcies, according to a new report from the law firm Polsinelli. Overall Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings dropped 50% in the fourth quarter of 2019 compared with the same period in 2010. Healthcare bankruptcies, by contrast, increased 125% in that time, according to the report, which tracks all Chapter 11 filings with assets over $1 million. (Bannow, 2/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
More Californians Are Skipping Medical Care Because Of Cost, And Are Sicker For It
Californians are increasingly worried about high health care costs, and more are postponing or skipping medical treatment altogether because of it, according to a new report by the California Health Care Foundation, a nonprofit that researches health care trends. Fifty-one percent of California residents skipped or delayed seeking physical, mental or dental health care in the last 12 months because of cost concerns, according to the report, which surveyed 1,408 adults living in California in late 2019. That is up from 44% a year earlier. (Ho, 2/14)
Philadelphia Inquirer:
It Costs More Than $70,000 A Year For A Philadelphia Family Of Four To Live Without Help; In The Suburbs, Up To $88,000
A Philadelphia family of four must make more than $70,000 a year just to survive, a new report says — a stunning sum beyond the reach of most residents in a city beset by high poverty and meager chances. According to the newly released study based on 2019 data, two adults with one preschooler and one school-age child have to take in $70,613 to meet their needs without receiving public assistance or help from relatives or friends. (Lubrano, 2/170
