Despite pressure from consumers and the White House, measures related to surprise billing were not included in the year-end funding package, making it unlikely that Congress will tackle the issue before 2020. Lawmakers seek to develop a compromise that eliminates surprise billing while still meeting the financial needs of health care stakeholders—a tall order, given that providers and insurers are often on opposing ends of negotiations. Recently, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and House Energy and Commerce Committees released draft legislation to protect patients from surprise bills. As the House Ways and Means Committee is also working on a proposal, the bill failed to progress.

Also in Policy Brief:

• Insurers Seek Remedy for Risk Corridor Payments Before SCOTUS
• Status of the Trump Administration’s Health Care Legal Challenges
• President Trump Impeached
• Fifth Circuit Affirms Individual Mandate is Unconstitutional, Remands to Lower Court
• Congress Passes Government Spending Package
• A Look at the Federal Register
• In Other News