U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, Maggie Hassan, and Roger Marshall have emphasized the need for full implementation of the No Surprises Act, a law designed to protect patients from unexpected medical bills and ensure transparency in healthcare costs. This bipartisan legislation was signed into law by President Trump in 2020.
The senators stated, "Nearly five years ago, President Trump signed the No Surprises Act (P.L. 116-260) into law. This historic, bipartisan legislation protects patients from surprise medical bills and ensures that they know the cost of care before receiving it." They highlighted the importance of providing transparent and personalized cost estimates for healthcare as a bipartisan priority.
Since its enactment, the No Surprises Act has shielded American patients from over 25 million surprise medical bills. The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury have played crucial roles in this achievement.
To enhance these efforts, the senators are advocating for rules that would provide covered patients with clear cost estimates prior to scheduled medical care. While good-faith estimates have been implemented for uninsured and self-pay patients, further rulemaking is needed to extend these provisions to insured individuals.
In their letter to Secretaries Kennedy, Chavez-DeRemer, and Bessent, the senators reiterated their commitment to ensuring complete implementation of patient protections under the No Surprises Act. They noted instances where incomplete cost estimates led to unexpected expenses for patients.
The Departments' ongoing efforts include gathering feedback on implementing advanced explanation of benefits requirements for covered individuals. Updates on progress toward full implementation have been issued periodically by relevant agencies.
"Ensuring that patients have transparent, personalized cost estimates for their health care is a bipartisan priority," wrote the senators. They urged prompt rulemaking to address outstanding provisions of the act.
The senators concluded by commending President Trump's dedication to price transparency and expressed readiness to support successful implementation efforts.
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