Too often, patients are surprised to find a bill from an out-of-network provider involved in their treatment who they had no control in choosing. Studies suggest that roughly 1 in 5 emergency room visits and 1 in 10 elective inpatient procedures result in the potential for a surprise out-of-network bill, most commonly when patient seek care at an in-network hospital but end up treated by certain emergency department or ancillary physicians (such as anesthesiologists, radiologists, pathologists, or assistant surgeons) who are outside their insurer’s provider network, and financial consequences can be devastating.
In recent years, many states have moved to address surprise billing and a few federal proposals are floating around Congress. While there is broad bipartisan agreement that a problem exists, a solution can sometimes prove elusive. On Friday, March 22, 2019, the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy will present new analysis detailing policy approaches to eliminate surprise out-of-network billing and bring together policymakers and stakeholders to discuss how to craft a solution
Friday, March 22, 2019 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM Pacific
Brookings Institution
Falk Auditorium
1775 Massachusetts Avenue N.W.
Washington, DC 20036
Agenda
Welcome and Introduction
- Paul Ginsburg, Director, Center for Health Policy, USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy; Leonard D. Schaeffer Chair in Health Policy Studies; Senior Fellow – Economic Studies
Presentation
- Loren Adler, Associate Director, Center for Health Policy, USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy
Panel Discussion: Policymakers
- Moderated by Mark Hall, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Economic Studies, Center for Health Policy
- Jessica Altman, Commissioner, Pennsylvania Insurance Department
- Jane Beyer, Senior Health Policy Advisor, Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner
- Lauren Block, Program Director, Health Division, National Governors Association
- Mary Moody, Health Policy Advisor, Office of Senator Bill Cassidy
Panel Discussion: Stakeholders
- Moderated by Paul Ginsburg
- L. Anthony Cirillo, Board Member, American College of Emergency Physicians
- Claire McAndrew, Director of Campaigns and Partnerships, Families USA
- Molly Smith, Vice President, Coverage and State Issues Forum, American Hospital Association
- Jeanette Thornton, Senior Vice President, Product, Employer, and Commercial Policy, America’s Health Insurance Plans