Press Releases

After facing a health crisis, you should be focused on recovery—not surprise costs. Despite efforts from lawmakers to shield Americans from unexpected medical costs, lack of protection due to complex state regulations and out-of-network costs can quickly plunge many Americans into financial chaos. 
 
In Case You Missed It via The Washington Post, Representatives Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Bobby Scott (D-VA)—the highest-ranking members on the House Committee on Education and Labor—are leading a bipartisan effort to rein in surprise medical costs.


Surprise bills from ground ambulances is next up in the move toward reform
By Rachel Roubein
December 13, 2022
 
Ground ambulances were left out of surprise billing legislation. Experts will meet next month to consider how to wrangle them.
 
The Biden administration is set to kick off the work of a key advisory committee designed to help stop patients from getting hit with pricey surprise medical bills from ground ambulances, The Health 202 has learned.
 
It took roughly two years for the new committee to get its start. But the panel’s meetings are now set to begin in the new year, with the first scheduled for Jan. 17-18. A critical report will be due 180 days later on how to prevent patients from owing hundreds of dollars for receiving out-of-network ambulance rides through no fault of their own.
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The upcoming launch of the advisory committee’s work is a step forward in fulfilling part of a law Congress passed in December 2020. The legislation shielded patients from getting slapped with large bills when they unknowingly get care from an out-of-network provider, including for air ambulance flights. Yet, it didn’t apply to ground ambulances, instead mandating key federal departments appoint an advisory committee to recommend options for preventing such bills. 
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Ground ambulance billing is particularly complex. For instance, many emergency medical transport services are operated by municipal and county governments, and so they must adhere to state and local regulations. Meanwhile, some municipal services may not contract with private insurance companies, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. 
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The ground ambulance panel has been of particular interest to the House Education and Labor Committee. Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.) and ranking Republican Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) sent a letter, first shared with The Health 202, Friday afternoon urging HHS to “prioritize and complete its establishment expeditiously.” …
 
Read the full article here.