The move comes as federal lawmakers have been considering various proposals to end surprise medical bills, which occur after patients unintentionally receive out-of-network care in emergency situations or at in-network hospitals.
Insurance companies, hospitals and physicians agree that patients should not be on the hook for surprise out-of-network charges but haven’t come up with a way to resolve payment disputes between insurance companies and physicians once the patient is protected.
One proposed surprise-billing solution — which was formally introduced June 19 by Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and ranking member Patty Murray, D-Wash. — addresses surprise medical bills by establishing a benchmark rate for health plan payments to out-of-network providers that is based on the market rate for that service in the area. However, physicians and hospitals have generally backed another idea — arbitration — to resolve such payment disputes.
Mr. Schumer told The Hill congressional leadership is trying to work out the differences.
“I think we have to do something about surprise billing, and there are two different proposals, and I think the leadership is working that out,” he said.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said in October that surprise-billing legislation in some form will likely pass Congress by the end of 2019.
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