|
 In remarks at the White House, Trump unveiled principles the
administration will send to congressional lawmakers to incorporate
into a legislative package that would address surprise bills.
"We're going to hold insurance companies and hospitals totally
accountable," Trump said.
Surprise bills occur when patients visit a hospital they believe is
in their health insurance network but then are seen by a doctor or
specialist who is out of network.
The White House wants the legislation to particularly focus on
patients who receive emergency room care and are unable to consent
to out-of-network care.
The principles are also aimed at patients who visit a facility for
elective surgery but are unknowingly treated and billed for
treatment from a doctor or specialist who is not in their insurance
network, Joe Grogan, head of White House domestic policy, told
reporters.
America's Health Insurance Plans, a trade group that represents U.S.
health insurers, said on Thursday it supports prohibiting doctors
from sending patients surprise bills in cases of emergency and
requiring facilities to inform patients of their doctors' insurance
network status.
Congress has held hearings on the issue and a bipartisan group of
senators is drafting a bill to protect patients from surprise bills.
Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan, along with several Republican
senators and representatives, attended the event.
[to top of second column] |
The White House said it does not want federal expenditures to
increase as a result of legislation. That could happen if Medicare,
the government health insurance program for Americans aged 65 and
older, and Medicaid, the government health insurance program for the
poor and disabled, have to pay more of patients' bills.
Democratic Representative Frank Pallone, chairman of the House
Energy and Commerce Committee, and Republican Representative Greg
Walden, the committee's ranking member, said in a statement they
would work on bipartisan surprise billing legislation.
"No family should be left in financial ruin through no fault of
their own, which is why we have been working together on a
bipartisan solution to protect patients that we hope to announce
soon," Pallone and Walden said.
(Reporting By Yasmeen Abutaleb; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
