REPORT: Senator Murray’s No Surprises Act Prevented 2 Million Surprise Medical Bills in Just Two Months

According to survey No Surprises Act prevented more than two million surprise medical bills—in just two months

Murray: “Surprise medical bills are unfair, expensive, and financially devastating—and thanks to the law I worked to pass they are now largely a thing of the past.”

Washington, D.C. – Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chair Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), released the following statement on a recent survey released by AHIP and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association which found that in just January and February 2022, the No Surprises Act (NSA) prevented 2 million surprise medical bills. The report further found that if the trend holds, NSA will prevent more than 12 million surprise medical bills in 2022.  

“Surprise medical bills are unfair, expensive, and financially devastating—and thanks to the law I worked to pass they are now largely a thing of the past. I was proud to pass a national law to protect patients, and finally secure critical protections from surprise air ambulance bills as well which can cost tens of thousands of dollars,” said Senator Murray. “This report shows families are already feeling the benefit of this bill—it’s preventing exorbitant surprise medical bills, saving families serious money, and lifting serious stress off their shoulders.”

“But our work isn’t done, and I won’t be satisfied, until everyone can get the health care they need without worrying about cost. I am going to continue watching closely to make sure the No Surprises Act is implemented, and enforced, as intended—and I’m also going to keep pushing to further lower health care costs, including by letting Medicare negotiate drug prices, capping patients’ insulin costs, extending health coverage support from the American Rescue Plan, and more.”

Senator Murray has led the charge to end surprise billing. She worked across the aisle to negotiate the No Surprises Act, got it passed into law in 2020, and has continued pressing to ensure it is implemented in a way that ends surprise bills and brings down health care costs by lowering premiums.

According to the survey and analysis conducted by AHIP and Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, “in the first two months of 2022, the NSA prevented more than 2,000,000 potential surprise medical bills across all commercially insured patients. If only a fraction of these claims are ultimately disputed through IDR, it would still far exceed the government’s estimate. Should the trend hold, more than 12,000,000 surprise bills will be avoided in 2022 due to the NSA.”

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