Ending Surprise Medical Bills
Millions of Americans have faced the financial burden of surprise medical bills. Thankfully, bipartisan enactment of the No Surprises Act prevented over 9 million surprise bills in the first 9 months of 2022. Despite this success, 16 lawsuits have been filed challenging the law, implementing regulations, and IDR decision process. These lawsuits, often driven by private-equity backed providers, threaten to restrict and even do away with the protections put in place by the No Surprises Act. Recent polling has shown that a bipartisan majority of voters are concerned these lawsuits could delay or overturn the patient protections in the No Surprises Act (73%) and increase health care costs for patients (78%).
Our Mission
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.
■ 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.
The Problem
Surprise medical billing – also known as “balance billing” – made it harder for patients to afford necessary medical care, and even bankrupted families, often when they least expected it.
Role of Private Equity
The Solution
Everyone in America deserves affordable, high-quality coverage and care, and control over their health care choices. Surprise medical bills undermine these values, putting the health and financial stability of millions of patients at risk every year. As organizations representing America’s employers, unions and health insurance providers, we all have a role to play in ensuring that patients are informed, engaged, and protected from excessive costs.
News
Private Equity Is At It Again: New CBO Report Shows Rapid Increases in Hospital and Physician Prices for Consumers and Employers
New evidence from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) shows that the prevalence of surprise medical billing by private equity-backed doctors and hospitals is a prime example of providers exploiting their market power to demand higher prices from health insurance...
Coalition Statement on AMA and AHA’s Legal Challenge to the No Surprises Act
Following the legal challenge filed by the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Hospital Association (AHA) today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on the rulemaking process for the No Surprises Act, the Coalition Against Surprise...
Patient, Consumer, Union and Employer Groups Reinforce Strong Support for Surprise Billing Rulemaking, Urgency in Implementing Patient Safeguards
After many years and far too many surprise bills, the patient protections included as part of the No Surprises Act are just weeks away from taking effect, providing welcome relief and peace of mind for millions of Americans. Private equity firms and out-of-network...