Surprise medical bills — also known as surprise out-of-network “balance bills”— occur when consumers are charged for care from out-of-network providers that they receive due to no fault of their own. Families who make their best attempt to navigate the health coverage and care system by identifying in-network facilities and providers still receive surprise medical bills that can amount to hundreds, thousands, and even tens-of-thousands of dollars.
In this letter, Consumer Reports joined with 50 other organizations to call on Congress to pass comprehensive legislation to ban surprise billing by the end of 2019.