WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) released the following statement on the surprise medical billing proposals from the House Education and Labor Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee. In December, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee – on which both Senators serve – and the House Energy and Commerce Committee released a bipartisan, bicameral compromise that incorporated considerable feedback and work from the two Senators.
“The stories we hear from constituents about surprise medical bills are outrageous and completely unfair. We’ve been working with members of both parties for well over a year to end this practice, and there is widespread bipartisan agreement in both Congress and the White House that we need to pass legislation to address this issue. We are encouraged to see movement on this issue in the House, and we will continue working with our colleagues in both the House and Senate to get patients these vital protections without delay.”
Cassidy and Hassan have led efforts to address surprise medical bills and worked for months with members from both parties to craft the STOP Surprise Medical Bills Act to end this practice. Last May, Cassidy and Hassan joined President Trump at a White House event on the need to address this issue. Last June, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee – on which both Senators serve – passed legislation to end surprise medical bills, and the Senators have continued to work closely with HELP Committee leadership and colleagues from both parties over the ensuing months to get bipartisan legislation to address this pressing issue facing patients across the finish line.
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