Washington, D.C. – The Coalition Against Surprise Medical Billing issued the following statement on the final surprise billing provisions included as part of the No Surprises Act:

“Despite out-of-network providers and private equity firms trying once again to dismantle and block vital reforms, Congress is taking a first step to remove patients from the middle of abusive surprise billing practices. But American families and employees deserve a better surprise billing solution than arbitration. The experience in the states, including New York, New Jersey and Texas, demonstrates government-mandated arbitration is a costly and burdensome process  – one that is prone to abuse from the very same private equity firms and out-of-network providers that caused and exploit the surprise billing crisis. By relying solely on arbitration – arguably the most complex and convoluted path to address surprise medical bills, Congress is foregoing a market-based solution that could have saved billions of dollars more for patients, families and taxpayers.”

“As this law is implemented, regulators should prioritize lowering consumers’ health care costs and preventing private equity firms and lawyers from exploiting the new arbitration system.”