Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) reintroduced the No Surprises Act Enforcement Act to reinforce the original intent of the No Surprises Act, legislation signed into law in 2020 to protect patients against surprise medical bills for unanticipated out-of-network care. The No Surprises Act also created an efficient dispute resolution process between health insurers and providers who have payment disagreements. However, the dispute resolution process is not being executed as Congress intended, and the No Surprises Act Enforcement Act reinforces original intent by closing enforcement gaps through increased penalties.
“For too long, surprise medical bills left Coloradans on the hook for high, unexpected costs after a hospital visit. That’s why I introduced bipartisan legislation in 2019 to ban this harmful practice, and I was glad to see the No Surprises Act signed into law,” said Bennet. “This legislation ensures that health care providers and insurance companies are upholding their obligations under that law.”
“Surprise medical bills can have devastating economic impacts on families’ checkbooks. The idea that health insurers are breaking the law and unfairly punishing patients and providers is unbelievable,” said Marshall. “Our legislation ensures that out-of-network medical bills are resolved promptly and fairly, with enhanced penalties for any failure by the health insurers to do so. We are keeping our promises to the American people, who often feel helpless battling the powerful insurers and the health care industry. This bill will double down to ensure this law is properly enforced.”
The No Surprises Act Enforcement Act reinforces the No Surprises Act by:
- Closing enforcement gaps through increased penalties for parties who are non-compliant with statutory payment deadlines;
- Providing parity between penalties imposed against parties who are not compliant with the law; and
- Increasing transparency in reporting requirements.
Bennet has long fought to protect patients from surprise medical costs. Bennet and Marshall first introduced the No Surprises Act Enforcement Act in December 2024. In 2019, Bennet introduced the bipartisan STOP Surprise Medical Bills Act to protect patients from surprise medical bills.
The text of the bill is available HERE.