WASHINGTON, D.C.— In response to the recently released surprise billing proposals from the House Ways and Means, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) released the following statement: 

“ACEP supports this bill and is encouraged that the Ways and Means Committee recognizes that a mediation process with no qualifying threshold must be part of a reasonable Congressional solution to surprise bills.

The Committee’s thoughtful and measured approach sets a promising foundation for additional discussion. ACEP looks forward to working with the Committee on improvements to the legislation, including addressing the concern that the mediator take into full consideration all of the information provided by physicians, with an eye toward ensuring the long-term sustainability of physician-insurer negotiations, and most importantly, patient access to care.

"Emergency physicians are committed to ensuring the patients to whom we provide life-saving treatment each day are protected from surprise bills. We look forward to working with Congress toward that shared goal.”