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The AHA today commented on provisions related to surprise medical billing legislation that the House Education and Labor Committee could consider soon. The Education and Labor Committee may consider a similar approach to the legislation passed in July by the Energy and Commerce Committee.
 
“While the AHA supports efforts to shield patients from the financial burden of unexpected medical expenses, we are concerned with this legislation’s approach to determining reimbursement for out-of-network providers,” AHA said in a letter to Education and Labor Committee members. “The AHA believes that once the patient is protected from surprise bills, providers and insurers should then be permitted to negotiate payment rates for services provided. We strongly oppose approaches that would impose arbitrary rates on providers, which could have significant consequences far beyond the scope of surprise bills.”