The American College of Radiology (ACR) has expressed “serious concerns” with the No Surprises Act—legislation geared toward ending surprise medical bills, in a July 16 statement.
In it, the ACR claimed the legislation—HR 3630—“would result in the federal government setting payment for out-of-network (OON) services performed in the private market.” The proposal also has no way for providers and insurers to resolve OON payment disputes, and instead sets a “benchmark payment rate” which can be easily manipulated by insurers.
“The ACR and many Americans oppose such government-controlled price setting in the private sector,” the statement read.
Instead, the ACR urged the Energy and Commerce Committee, which will soon be considering HR 3630, to include an independent dispute resolution (IDR) amendment from HR 3502, also known as the Protecting People from Surprise Medical Bills Act.
More than 102 organizations have signed a letter supporting an IDR amendment, including the ACR and American Medical Association.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.