Here are four things to know.
1. The legislation would cap the amount healthcare providers can bill patients for out-of-network care. The report did not specify how that cap would be determined.
2. Massachusetts Sen. James Welch, D-Hampden, said the legislation ultimately aims to protect patients from surprise out-of-network bills and will hopefully create greater price transparency, according to the report.
“The unknown of a month after your procedure getting a bill in the mail and all of a sudden you owe $500, $1,000, multiple-thousands of dollars,” he said. “Well, part of the procedure was out of network.”
3. But physicians and healthcare providers have expressed concerns about the legislation’s potential affect on emergency rooms, the report notes.
4. The legislation still has some hurdles to cross. It is not part of the House budget and still must make it onto the final state budget for next year, reports WWLP.
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