FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2020
+1 (202) 823-2333
WASHINGTON — In response to tonight's release of the No Surprises Act from House and Senate leaders,
Action for Health President Christopher Sheeron released the following statement:
"We are astounded that, after 18 months of work, this is the 'deal' that has emerged. When a 365-page bill is dumped at 6:30 on a Friday evening, we're reminded of one thing: terrible process leads to terrible policy. This agreement is a disaster for everyone but health insurance companies.
Section 103 of the legislation sets up an independent dispute resolution (IDR) process in which the IDR entity is required to consider the in-network median rate. That means that the health insurer will win each surprise medical bill dispute every single time. And going forward, insurance companies will get to pay whatever they want, regardless of whether doctors agreed to their rates or not. In a year full of misinformation, claiming this bill establishes a 'fair framework to resolve disputes' takes the myth prize.
If we don't reset this debate in the next Congress and work together to amend this approach, rural hospitals and under-served communities will be decimated, independent medical practices will close, and the private healthcare system in America as we know it will be over. The resulting consolidation that will occur will drive up costs for everyone and severely restrict access to care for those who need it most.
On behalf of more than 10 million patients across the country, we urge all Members who support them, our nation's healthcare heroes, and free market principles to say 'no' to the No Surprises Act."
