After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. ~Nelson Mandela
US House Rep Ilhan Omar's office issued the following:
February 11, 2020
Press Release
WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) introduced and passed an amendment to the Ban Surprise Billing Act (H.R. 5800), a bipartisan proposal to protect patients from surprise medical bills, in the House Education and Labor Committee. H.R. 5800 requires that patients receive notification 72 hours in advance if the non-emergency care they’re planning to receive is out-of-network and as such, subject to higher costs.
Rep. Omar’s amendment would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to create a template for the 72-hour notifications that is worded in an easily understandable manner and ensures it is made available in multiple languages.
“Our healthcare system is broken. Surprise medical billing is a troubling and all-too-common product of a system that prioritizes profit over care. Patients are getting hit with astronomical bills without any notice,” Rep. Omar said. “I’m proud that that the Ban Surprise Billing Act includes my amendment to ensure that notifications are widely available and clearly written. Facing a medical procedure is complicated enough. We should be allowing patients to focus on their care and recovery, rather than forcing them to translate a complex document.”
