Bipartisan Group of Legislators Call on Biden Administration to Fix Surprise Billing Rule

By Consumers For Quality Care, on November 29, 2021

Over 150 bipartisan members of Congress are calling on the Biden Administration to follow the letter of the law when it comes to the No Surprises Act, according to Ripon Advance. The law is set to go into effect next year and aims to keep consumers out of the middle of billing disputes.

In a letter addressed to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, and U.S. Labor Secretary Martin Walsh, the legislators argue that the law’s “success will depend on your departments following the letter of law in its implementation.” The legislators allege that the current federal rulemaking process for the law “[does] not reflect the way the law was written, do[es] not reflect a policy that could have passed Congress, and do[es] not create a balanced process to settle payment disputes.”

Congress passed the No Surprises Act in December 2020 after extensive bipartisan deliberations to protect patients from surprise medical bills and to create a balanced process to resolve payment disputes between insurance plans and healthcare providers. CQC urges regulators to follow the letter of the law, as intended by Congress, to keep consumers out of the middle of payment disputes.