Statements

Statement: At Long Last, Consumers and Their Families Will be Protected from Egregious Surprise Medical Bills

Tue, December, 22nd, 2020

The undersigned members of the No Surprises campaign applaud Congress for passing bipartisan legislation that will put the unfair and harmful practice of surprise billing to an end. Out-of-network balance billing has plagued consumers for decades and has left families on the hook for hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of dollars of bills they did not plan for and are often unable to pay. Finally, families will have peace of mind that these unexpected bills will not hit them.

Since it launched in September 2019, the No Surprises campaign has worked tirelessly with Members of Congress, Congressional committees and staff, and other stakeholders to get these protections into law. The passage of this legislation marks a significant step forward in the effort to make sure health insurance is meaningful and that abusive practices that are driving up health care costs and making health care unaffordable for our nation’s families are no longer tolerated.

The bipartisan deal passed by Congress takes consumers out of the middle of the payment dispute between providers and insurers in most emergency and non-emergency situations, and importantly, protects consumers from surprise bills from air ambulance providers—one of the most financially burdensome types of bills a patient can get.

No compromise is perfect, but this is a massive step forward. We stand ready to work with Congress and the administration on implementing and monitoring this legislation to ensure that there are no unintended negative impacts on health care access, costs, or premiums.

Families USA Action
Arthritis Foundation

Community Catalyst
Consumer Reports
MomsRising
National Partnership for Women & Families
U.S. PIRG
Voices for Progress

The No Surprises: People Against Unfair Medical Bills campaign brings together organizations representing consumers, patients, and workers to urge Congress to act immediately to ban surprise medical bills.

Stay Up To Date

Now that the No Surprises Act protections are in effect, we continue to provide resources about the statute. See our resources tab to learn more about the new law and our efforts to keep it strong for consumers. You can also visit the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ website on the law for more information: https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises.

Contact the No Surprises Campaign

Jane Sheehan, Director of Federal Relations
JSheehan@familiesusa.org