KHN’s ‘What the Health’: Who will pay to fix problem of surprise medical bills?

Reviewed by Kate Anderton, B.Sc. (Editor)Jun 13 2019

Congress is finally getting down to real work on legislation to end "surprise" medical bills, which patients get if they inadvertently receive care from an out-of-network health providers or use one in an emergency. But doctors, hospitals, insurers and other health care payers can't seem to agree on who should pay more so patients can pay less.

Meanwhile, the fight over women's reproductive rights continues in both Washington, D.C., and the states. This week, governors in three states — Vermont, Illinois and Maine — signed bills to make abortions easier to obtain. At the same time, the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives took up a spending bill for the Department of Health and Human Services that still includes the "Hyde Amendment," which bans most federal abortion funding — despite the fact that most House Democrats oppose the restriction. House Democratic leaders fear that the fight to eliminate the restriction would jeopardize the rest of the spending bill in the GOP-controlled Senate and at the White House.

This week's panelists are Julie Rovner from Kaiser Health News, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner.

Among the takeaways from this week's podcast:

• Republicans on Capitol Hill and at the White House are just as eager as Democrats are to settle on legislation that would keep consumers from getting surprise medical bills. It would provide a nice counterpoint during the upcoming campaign to Democrats' charges that the GOP has been undermining health care with its opposition to the Affordable Care Act.
• A federal judge in Texas has struck down the ACA's provision that health plans must cover contraception. That is at odds with another judge in Pennsylvania who earlier this year blocked the Trump administration's plans to loosen the birth control mandate.
• State insurance regulators are raising concerns about health care sharing ministries, which offer plans that provide coverage for some medical expenses. But consumers often don't realize that the plans may not cover many health costs, including those from preexisting conditions.

Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read too:

Julie Rovner: The Washington Post's "In Alabama — Where Lawmakers Banned Abortion for Rape Victims — Rapists' Parental Rights Are Protected," by Emily Wax-Thibodeaux

Alice Miranda Ollstein: The New York Times' "Planned Parenthood to Host Women's Health Forum for 2020 Democrats," by Lisa Lerer

Stephanie Armour: NPR's "You May Be Stressing Out Your Dog," by Rebecca Hersher

Kimberly Leonard: Politico's "Lost in Translation: Epic Goes to Denmark," by Arthur Allen

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