Dear Chairman Neal and Ranking Member Brady:
Patients, physicians, and policymakers are deeply concerned about the impact that
unanticipated medical bills are having on patient out-of-pocket costs and the patient-physician
relationship. Health insurance plans are increasingly relying on narrow and often inadequate
networks of contracted physicians, hospitals, pharmacies, and other providers as one mechanism
for controlling costs. As a result, even those patients who are diligent about seeking care from
in-network physicians and hospitals may find themselves with unanticipated out-of-network bills
from providers who are not in their insurance plan’s network, simply because they had no way of
knowing and researching in advance all the individuals who are ultimately involved in their care.
Physicians and other providers are limited in their ability to help patients avoid these
unanticipated costs because they, too, may not know in advance who will be involved in an
episode of care, let alone other providers’ contract status with all the insurance plans in their
communities.
As Congress develops potential legislation to provide relief to patients from health care
costs that their insurance will not cover, we urge your consideration of the following policies.
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