CHICAGO — Groups representing hundreds of thousands of physicians today asked Congress to find a balanced approach to surprise medical bill legislation that would hold patients harmless for excessive costs while not handing over more market power to insurers.
The letter, led by the American Medical Association (AMA) and signed by 110 other medical societies, points out that the legislation – if tilted toward insurers – could precipitate staffing shortages in rural areas and other underserved communities.
The letter calls for an efficient independent dispute resolution process to incentivize health insurers to make fair payment for out-of-network care that is provided to their customers. The letter also calls for strong network adequacy requirements so patients are not routinely pushed toward care that is out of network.
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About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
