Congress’s new plan to end surprise medical bills, explained

Just as the prospects of a congressional deal to stop surprise medical bills seemed to be dimming, lawmakers had a breakthrough. On Sunday evening, the leaders of several key health care committees announced they had come to an agreement.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, the top Republican on the Senate health committee, announced the news alongside Reps. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Greg Walden (R-OR), the top Democrat and Republican on an important House committee. (Sen. Patty Murray, the ranking Democrat on Alexander’s committee, did not join the trio; her spokesperson told Axios some Senate Democrats still have unspecified concerns but she still welcomed the development.)

”I do not think it is possible to write a bill that has broader agreement than this one does among Senate and House Democrats and Republicans on Americans’ number one financial concern: what they pay out of their own pockets for health care,” Alexander said on Sunday night.

They got there by compromising on what has been the most contentious issue in the surprise billing legislation: how much doctors will get paid when they provide emergency out-of-network care to patients.

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