Reps. Jason Smith, R-Mo., and Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., introduced legislation this week to ensure Medicare enrollees have expanded access to telehealth. The COVID-19 pandemic required the U.S. healthcare system to innovate and embrace every viable method of healthcare delivery. For patients in rural areas back home in Missouri, none have been more beneficial than the expansion of audio-only telehealth, said Smith in a statement. This method of healthcare delivery should serve as a bridge to provide better care and remain a permanent option for patients who will not gain access to broadband and technology overnight, he continued.
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U.S. senators on Tuesday confirmed a veteran Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP adviser to a top post at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, bringing President Joe Biden one step closer to rounding out his health policy leadership.
Laws to curb surprise medical bills might be inflating healthcare costs
Michael Ollove, Stateline
New state laws designed to protect patients from being hit with steep out-of-network medical bills may contribute to higher healthcare costs and premiums, some researchers warn.
Lawmakers and advocates who pushed for surprise billing laws say the measures have protected consumers from some of the most egregious bills, which can climb into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. But some researchers recently have raised alarms that doctors and other medical providers are leveraging state laws that rely on arbitration to increase in-network fees, thereby raising healthcare costs for everyone.
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New state laws designed to protect patients from being hit with steep out-of-network medical bills may contribute to higher health care costs and premiums, some researchers warn.