Summary
We provide an updated side-by-side analysis of the major Congressional (Senate and House) legislation intended to protect patients from surprise medical billing that have been introduced thus far in the 116th Congress. We added the No Surprises Act recently advanced by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.
For each of the four proposals outlined below, the chart examines key provisions regarding prohibited balance billing scenarios, payment rates, implications for plans and providers, cost-sharing implications for patients, interaction with state laws, transparency requirements, and other key policy features. Specifically, we look at:
- Stopping the Outrageous Practice (STOP) of Surprise Bills Act of 2019 (S. 1531) by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Michael Bennet (D-CO) and others;
- Reauthorizing and Extending America’s Community Health (REACH) Act (H.R. 2328), including the No Surprise Act by Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Greg Walden (R-OR);
- Protecting People from Surprise Medical Bills Act (H.R. 3502) by Reps. Raul Ruiz (D-CA), Joseph Morelle (D-NY), Van Taylor (R-TX) and others; and
- Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019 (S. 1895) by Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA).
We anticipate that proposals may continue to evolve as this process moves forward in Congress.