Statement On White House Surprise Billing Event

Rick Pollack

AHA President and CEO

American Hospital Association

May 9, 2019

America’s hospitals and health systems are fully committed to protecting patients from unanticipated medical bills that they may incur because of unexpected gaps in their health coverage or as a result of medical emergencies. The last thing a patient should worry about in a health crisis is a surprise medical bill. The AHA commends the Administration and Congress for their work to find solutions to this problem.

The AHA has urged Congress to enact legislation that would protect patients from surprise bills. We can achieve this by simply banning balance billing. This would protect patients from any bills above their in-network cost-sharing obligations. Untested proposals such as bundling payments would create significant disruption to provider networks and contracting without benefiting patients.

We look forward to our continued work with the Administration and Congress on workable solutions to stop surprise bills. 

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