Target: Frank Pallone, U.S. House Representative
Goal: Support protection of patients from surprise medical bills potentially costing thousands of dollars.
Healthcare is a big enough worry and expense for Americans without the prospect of being “surprised” by an unexpectedly hefty medical bill. Yet for years, patients who were already experiencing massive adversity were hit with these massive debts. This ForceChange petition and its signers called for an end to surprise medical bills. The nation’s leaders finally listened.
At the beginning of 2022, the No Surprises Act officially went into effect. This law targets surprise billing, where a patient is—without their knowledge—treated by a doctor who is not in their insurance network. Therefore, any expenses for care provided by that physician come out of the patient’s own pocket. In addition, some hospitals will bill patients for an amount exceeding what an insurance provider will pay in a practice known as balance billing. These stress-inducing outcomes befall an estimated 20 percent of people who visit the emergency room, despite measures the patients might take to seek out an in-network facility.
Under the new law, private insurers will be banned from surprise billing in most circumstances. Patients will therefore be protected when they visit the emergency room, when they go to an in-network healthcare provider, or if they have to be transported to the hospital by air. In addition, hospitals will not be able to bill stabilized emergency room patients for out-of-network services.
Sign the petition below to thank one of the lawmakers instrumental in making this important reform possible.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Representative Pallone,
The No Surprises Act met with more than a few hurdles after you introduced it in Congress, but the results of your efforts have finally come to fruition. The days when patients had to worry about unexpected medical expenses totaling thousands of dollars may be gone, or at least significantly diminished. This law will offer a vital protection for patients in a system that too often seems to prioritize profit over care.
Thank you for seeing this mission to its conclusion and for fighting for the health rights of all Americans.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Andrea Piacquadio
Dear Representative Pallone,
Thank you for making this reform possible. By doing so, you have made the healthcare system accountable to everyone, and have eliminated the additional stress of unforeseen medical bills. The American people are grateful.
Evan Jane Kriss
Sausalito CA