Panetta Introduces Legislation to Improve Enforcement of No Surprises Act

Monterey, CA - Today, United States Representatives Jimmy Panetta, Greg Murphy, M.D, Raul Ruiz, M.D., John Joyce, M.D., and Kim Schrier, M.D. introduced the No Surprises Act Enforcement Act to reinforce the historic No Surprises Act which protects patients from surprise medical bills.

"The bipartisan No Surprises Act was a significant step forward in our efforts to end surprise medical bills. However, we now need to ensure the proper implementation of the legislation," said Rep. Jimmy Panetta. "I'm proud to introduce a bipartisan bill that would increase penalties for entities that fail to protect the health and financial well-being of patients. Our bill would give the No Surprises Act the necessary strength to shield working families from unexpected medical expenses by actually enforcing the law."

"In 2020, the bipartisan No Surprises Act was signed into law to put an end to surprise medical billing once and for all," said Rep. Greg Murphy, M.D. "Unfortunately, its implementation has been rife with unnecessary challenges. This legislation will reinforce the intent of the law and ensure the bipartisan process Congress established to protect patients from financial harm is effectuated. I'm grateful for my colleagues who have joined me in this bipartisan effort to prevent burdensome medical debt from crushing unexpecting patients any longer."

"As an emergency physician, I know firsthand that individuals in underserved communities are impacted by long delays in providers receiving payments," said Rep. Raul Ruiz, M.D. "The No Surprises Act Enforcement Act will ensure the No Surprises Act (NSA) applies penalties to both health care providers and insurers and will allow health care officials to do their jobs in a timely fashion."

"In 2020, the bipartisan No Surprises Act was signed into law, enshrining critical protections for patients against surprise medical bills and ensuring insurance companies hold up their end of the bargain by paying what they owe in a timely manner," said Rep. Kim Schrier, M.D. "Today, we stand united once more to ensure the Act fulfills its original intent: providing relief to patients from the financial strain of unexpected out-of-network medical charges while establishing fair price negotiation between doctors and insurance companies."

Background
The bipartisan, bicameral No Surprises Act was signed into law in 2020 to instill key patient protections while ensuring a balanced resolution process for disputes between insurers and providers in our health system. The law protected patients from unexpected out-of-network "surprise" medical bills and established the framework for an effective and balanced independent dispute resolution process (IDR). However, this balanced framework is not being effectuated as Congress intended.

This legislation reinforces the No Surprises Act by:

• Closing enforcement gaps through increased penalties for non-compliance of statutory payment deadlines.
• Providing parity between penalties imposed against parties non-compliant with statutory patient protection provisions.
• Increasing transparency in reporting requirements

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