Key House and Senate
health leaders reach deal to stop surprise medical bills
Key
House and Senate health care leaders in both parties reached a deal on Sunday
on legislation to protect patients from surprise medical bills.
The deal between House
Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr.
(R-Ore.), the top Republican on that panel, and Senate Health
Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander
(R-Tenn.) is a step forward for the effort, which is seen as a rare area of
possible bipartisan action this year.
President Trump has also
called for action on the issue. The legislation would protect patients from
getting hit with massive bills when they go to the emergency room and one of
the doctors caring for them happens to be outside their insurance
network.
“I do not think it is
possible to write a bill that has broader agreement than this among Senate and
House Democrats and Republicans on Americans’ number one financial concern:
what they pay out of their own pockets for health care,” Alexander said in a statement.
The deal also includes
other health care measures, such as an extension of funding for community
health centers, raising the purchasing age for tobacco to 21 and drug pricing
transparency measures.
Backers of the deal are
hoping to include it in a must-pass government funding deal that faces a Dec.
20 deadline.
There are still
obstacles, though. Congressional leadership has not yet signed on to the deal.
There are also still
disagreements over the details of the surprise medical billing legislation,
with doctors and hospitals lobbying hard on the issue and worried about cuts to
their payments.
It was not yet clear on
Sunday whether the lawmakers more aligned with doctors and hospitals would sign
on to this deal.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.),
the top Democrat on the Senate Health Committee, also was not listed among the
supporters of the deal.
"Senator Murray
believes the overall agreement takes important steps forward on a number of
issues impacting patients and families, and is working with some members of her
caucus on concerns they still have," said Helen Hare, a spokeswoman for
Murray. "She didn't want to sign onto a press release until those were
worked through."
Sens. Bill Cassidy (D-N.H.), and
Michael Bennet (D-Colo.),
who had backed a rival bill more favored by doctors groups, released a
statement sounding generally supportive of the deal but stopped short of fully
endorsing it, saying "final details" needed to be worked out.
"As our
discussions continue around the final details, we are encouraged that we’re one
step closer to giving patients these vital protections," the senators
said. "Patients have waited long enough, and we remain hopeful that we can
get this done by the end of the year.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
released a statement praising the inclusion of his legislation with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) to raise
the tobacco age to 21 but did not tip his hand on the other provisions.
“I’m pleased to see
bipartisan, bicameral progress continues on solutions to address the teen
vaping crisis, primarily through my legislation with Senator Kaine to increase
the tobacco purchasing age to 21," McConnell said. “I look forward to
reviewing the details on this and the other policies included in the package
announced today.”
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