SUBJECT: Lower Health Care Costs Act
Dear Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Murray,
The American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons
(CNS), representing more than 4,000 practicing neurosurgeons in the United States, thank you for the
opportunity to provide feedback on your draft legislation, the “Lower Health Care Costs Act.” Americans
continue to struggle with rising health care costs, including high deductibles and other out-of-pocket
expenses. As such, a balanced solution for cost-sharing between patients, physicians and health plans
is a priority for organized neurosurgery.
Patients deserve access to the physicians of their choice, which at times may require seeking care from
out-of-network physicians. Unfortunately, the current health care delivery system, with its arcane rules,
narrow networks, and lack of transparency, often leaves patients vulnerable. As physicians, we can and
must do better, to assure that our patients are not left with medical bills that can soar into the thousands
of dollars, leaving them financially devastated. The AANS and the CNS, therefore, applaud your effort to
tackle the issue of unanticipated medical bills as part of your larger health care costs and transparency
legislation. We also appreciate your willingness to work with the medical community to refine your bill, as
we have some significant concerns about several sections of the draft. Our comments will focus on
issues related to unanticipated medical bills, provider network directories and timely bills for
patients, and we urge you to make changes to reflect our comments,
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