Congress has agreed to shield patients from many big, unexpected medical bills — a practice that consumers and politicians have bemoaned for years but that eluded a federal solution until now.
A ban on what is known as surprise billing is woven into a pandemic relief package, which lawmakers approved late Monday. The ban is based mainly, but not entirely, on a bipartisan accord this month among three House committees and one in the Senate that had each tried to outlaw the practice before.
The issue involves often-large bills that patients are sent for care they did not realize was outside their insurer’s network. Such bills have become increasingly common even when patients use an in-network hospital. At times, emergency room visits can lead to bills for treatment by a physician who has not agreed to participate in the network. And when care is planned in advance, such as for surgeries, patients do not always know that some medical specialists, such as anesthesiologists, can be outside a network. Continue reading.