ASCP Still Urging Lab Community to Contact Congress About Surprise Billing

ASCP released an action alert on Aug. 1, calling on pathologists and laboratory professionals to contact Congress about legislation being developed to protect patients from surprise billing, which occurs when patients receive unanticipated, often substantial, medical bills for care they thought was covered by their insurance. In its current form, the legislation Congress is considering would limit payment for out-of-network providers and healthcare facilities to the local, median payment rates. However, these rates can be insufficient to cover costs and when coupled with other recent threats to reimbursement, like the massive cuts to the Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule caused by the Protecting Access to Medicare Act, could adversely impact pathology and laboratory medicine and undermine patient access to essential medical services. To help address this concern, ASCP urges you use the ASCP e-Advocacy website to ask Congress to include an independent dispute resolution process to help ensure pathology, laboratory medicine and other medical services are fairly compensated.

Other articles in the September 2019 ePolicy News:

Medicare Laboratory DOS Proposal Threatens Laboratory Revenues
NSH Endorses ASCP Position on Anthem Payment Rates
USPSTF Recommends Screening for Hepatitis C

To read more articles from ePolicy News click here.

For more information regarding ASCP's advocacy initiatives and policy positions, please contact ASCP's Center for Public Policy at (202) 408-1110.

ASCP ePolicy News is supported by an unrestricted grant from Hologic.