U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., seeks to ban surprise billing that occurs when patients receive care at in-network hospitals but incur out-of-network charges.
To help accomplish this, the representative introduced the Fair Billing Act.
"Medical billing is extremely complicated, even in the best of circumstances," Ms. Lujan Grisham said. "Consumers who have done their homework, choosing an in-network provider covered by their insurance and doing their best to plan for the expense of a particular procedure, treatment, or service should not be held responsible for these unexpected costs.
"The only thing a patient should be worrying about when they go to an in-network hospital is the care they are going to receive, not whether a surprise bill will be waiting for them when they get home."
She outlines the legislation's components in an Oct. 3 announcement. Under the Fair Billing Act, patients' out-of-pocket costs would be limited to the cost-sharing amount an in-network provider would have charged. The legislation would only allow providers to charge patients more with the patient's written consent at least 72 hours beforehand.