WASHINGTON, DC — The Coalition Against Surprise Medical Billing (CASMB) released new polling which found an overwhelming majority of voters are concerned lawsuits filed against a surprise billing law and implementing regulations could weaken patient protections and lead to higher out-of-pocket expenses.
“The No Surprises Act is working for patients,” said Kinika Young, Director of Legal Advocacy at Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. “As certain private equity-backed groups threaten the patient protections with numerous lawsuits, Americans are right to be worried.”
The survey, sponsored by Morning Consult, polled voter attitudes toward the No Surprises Act and the continued attempts to weaken the patient protections and cost-lowering measures.
Highlights included:
- An overwhelming majority of voters (74%) are concerned that lawsuits could weaken the patient protections included in the No Surprises Act.
- 82% of voters are concerned that private equity-backed groups will weaken patient protections because of their involvement in the health care system.
“The efforts made by private equity groups to dismantle the No Surprises Act are an attempt to line their own pockets at the expense of patients,” said Bobbette Bond, Vice President of Health Policy at UNITE HERE HEALTH. “We hope the Biden Administration continues to implement the No Surprises Act in a way that will lower costs and ensure patients are protected from receiving a surprise medical bill.”
“We’ve seen time and time again that the No Surprises Act works,” said Mike Thompson, President & CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions. “With over 1 million bills prevented in each month of implementation – so nearly 17 million surprise bills prevented thus far, this legislation is functioning as it was intended, and we shouldn’t allow certain provider groups to dismantle a program that works to protect patients.”
The Coalition Against Surprise Medical Billing is committed to protecting patients and lowering health care costs through continued implementation of the No Surprises Act. As litigation efforts continue targeting the law, implementing regulations, and IDR decisions, it is essential the Administration stand firm to protect patients, just as Congress intended when they wrote the No Surprises Act.
To see a full breakdown of the polling results, click here.
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About the Coalition Against Surprise Medical Billing
The Coalition Against Surprise Medical Billing represents leading employer groups, unions, health insurance providers, and the tens of millions of people they employ and serve each day. Together, we support comprehensive protections for Americans against surprise medical bills, including: ensuring that as implementation continues, the No Surprises Act regulations remain in place to serve patients and end the practice of out-of-network providers sending surprise medical bills – while also lowering costs, maintaining fair and market-based payments for out-of-network care, and reducing Americans’ health insurance premiums and taxpayers’ costs by avoiding an arbitration process that adds unnecessary cost, delay, and red tape to the health system.
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