Winston Salem Times

Rep. Debra Conrad (R-Forsyth) is urging Congress to approve legislation that would prevent COVID-19 patients from receiving surprise medical bills after receiving treatment. 

“We must put an end to surprise medical billing by implementing a benchmarking system,” Conrad posted on her Facebook page in March. “In a pandemic, the health of Americans should remain a top concern. Already facing large surprise medical bills, patients are concerned they may not even have health care coverage under their employer.”

Politico reported a bipartisan push to include surprise medical billing protection the recently passed $2.2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill, however, the proposal didn’t come to fruition. It is expected to come up again in the next stimulus package. 

The White House did say that any hospital getting relief from the stimulus bill must agree to not send bills to patients costing more than what they would pay if they received care through an in-network provider.

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), a sponsor of legislation banning surprise medical bills, said patients and consumer advocates want the problem to end now. On his Twitter page, Alexander posted a letter on April 6 to Congress from 30 organizations representing patients and consumers. 

”Recent media reports indicate that consumers diagnosed with COVID-19 may face extreme costs because of the nature of their treatment and quarantine,”  the letter states. ”Patients with serious and chronic conditions that routinely require medical treatment to maintain their health are being asked to shift their care to different providers and facilities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These shifts, while necessary to contain the virus, may result in out-of-network care – increasing consumers’ risk of receiving a surprise bill. Fear of exorbitant costs and subsequent surprise medical bills should not keep patients and consumers away from care for treatment of COVID-19 or an underlying medical condition during this critical time.”