Denver – Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet released the following statement after the announcement of a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on legislation to stop surprise medical billing and lower health care costs for Americans:
“Patients should not have to worry about being blindsided by unanticipated, and potentially financially devastating, medical bills. Coloradans deserve to know how much they are paying for health care services at the point of care. I commend the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and House leadership for their tireless work on this issue that has received broad bipartisan and bicameral support. In the midst of this pandemic where countless people have become sick or lost their jobs, through no fault of their own, Congress should pass this legislation immediately to protect patients from surprise medical bills while maintaining their access to care.”
In May 2019, Bennet and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) led the bipartisan Senate health care price transparency group in introducing the STOP Surprise Medical Bills Act, legislation to protect patients from surprise bills. The legislation was a product of a nearly year-long effort revising and requesting feedback on draft legislation released in September 2018 by the working group. Bennet and Cassidy formed the working group in March 2018.
The bill text is available HERE. A section-by section is available HERE.