Currently, employers are not obligated to help employees pay surprise medical bills, but HR Policy and other employer groups have supported legislation to address this by establishing benchmark reimbursement rates. This was the procedure included in the bill as introduced, but an amendment adopted by the Committee added the potential for a higher amount as determined through binding arbitration.
Looking ahead: The bill will be considered by the House Education and Labor Committee and Ways and Means Committee before moving to the House floor sometime this fall. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee has also passed an HR Policy-supported bipartisan bill to reduce out-of-pocket health care costs using a median in-network benchmark rate to resolve surprise medical bills without an arbitration process.