House health committee may move forward with surprise-billing proposal in October

Kelly Gooch -

The House Education and Labor Committee may continue steps toward legislation to address surprise medical bills next month, according to The Washington Post.

Committee Chairman Bobby Scott, D-Va., told the newspaper he hopes to move ahead with a bill in October, after lawmakers reconvene from a two-week recess. 

The remarks come after the committee delayed a vote on surprise-billing legislation earlier this month amid disagreement about how the issue should be addressed. 

The primary debate concerns how to resolve out-of-network payment disputes between insurance companies and physicians. Two ideas under consideration are reimbursing providers based on benchmark rates and using arbitration.  

Mr. Scott told the Post he is not opposed to arbitration — which would allow an arbitrator to decide the out-of-network payment amount from health plans to physicians —but details are important.  

"The instruction to the arbitrator can make the difference," he added.

Although the House committee hopes to move ahead with efforts to combat surprise medical bills after the recess, impeachment efforts may threaten bipartisan healthcare talks.

 

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