The physicians of the Massachusetts Medical Society have serious concerns about the proposal to address surprise billing released by the leadership of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Senate HELP Committee. As we have stated from the beginning, no patient should ever receive a surprise bill. But we must oppose legislation which will give undue leverage to insurance companies to disrupt patient access to in-network physicians, destabilize the on-call system - which ensures that physicians are available to patients with emergencies - and has the potential to exacerbate physician shortages and access to care problems. We continue to support legislation which has proven successful at ending surprise bills, restoring balance to negotiations between insurers and physicians and, most importantly, ensuring patient access to quality health care. We applaud Chairman Neal’s leadership and the commitment of our entire Massachusetts Congressional delegation to find the right solution to resolve surprise bills. This is not it.
