An insurance provider plans to introduce legislation in Idaho to end surprise medical bills, according to the Lewiston Tribune.
Sean Robbins, president of Regence BlueShield of Idaho, told the newspaper he intends to introduce the bill in the upcoming state legislative session as part of his effort to cut increasing healthcare costs.
Surprise medical bills occur after patients unintentionally receive out-of-network care in emergency situations or at in-network hospitals.
Under Regence BlueShield of Idaho's plan, physicians would be required to be paid the same rates as in-network physicians when they are treating patients at in-network hospitals, especially in emergency situations, according to the Tribune. Mr. Robbins called the approach "fair and simple."
Regence BlueShield of Idaho's LinkedIn page says it is an independent licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association and serves more than 160,000 people in the state.
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