CAP Applauds Reps. Ruiz and Roe for Introduction of Protecting People from Surprise Medical Bills Act

Bipartisan House legislation offers transparent and commonsense approach to protect patients and allow physicians and insurers to settle out-of-network bills.

WASHINGTON, DC—The College of American Pathologists (CAP) welcomed the introduction of legislation sponsored by Rep. Raul Ruiz, MD (D-CA) and Rep. Phil Roe, MD (R-TN) to protect patients from surprise medical bills and preserve access to physician services. The following statement can be attributed to CAP President R. Bruce Williams, MD, FCAP:

“The solutions in the Protecting People from Surprise Medical Bills Act would accomplish our goals of holding patients financially harmless from surprise medical bills while creating an independent arbitration system that keeps patients out of the middle of out-of-network billing disputes. The root cause of a surprise bill is an insufficient health insurance provider network. The inclusion of a baseball-style arbitration process would allow physicians and insurers to come together and settle an out-of-network medical bill through the consideration of a range of factors reflecting the market value of physician services. The CAP appreciates that the proposal avoids the use of one rate that could be wholly controlled by insurers.

“The ideas in this legislation represent a transparent and commonsense approach to surprise bills. The Protecting People from Surprise Medical Bills Act ensures the financial viability of the health care delivery system and preserves patient access to their physicians. We fully support the patient protections and provisions in this bill. And, we thank Representatives Ruiz and Roe for their leadership on this issue. The CAP encourages all members of the House of Representatives to sign on as co-sponsors to this important legislation.”

As the world's largest organization of board-certified pathologists and leading provider of laboratory accreditation and proficiency testing programs, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) serves patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide. For more information, visit yourpathologist.org to watch pathologists at work and see the stories of the patients who trust them with their care. Read the 2018 CAP Annual Report at CAP.ORG.