Federation of American Hospitals President and CEO Chip Kahn issued the following statement on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s surprise billing hearing:

“Hospitals agree no patient should ever receive a surprise medical bill. We appreciate the Committee engaging on this compelling concern.

“The best resolution to surprise billing is federal policy that protects patients, only holding them responsible for their in-network cost sharing amount for unavoidable out-of-network events.

“With the patient protected, caregivers and insurers can negotiate an appropriate payment – with the law putting in place an arbitration process if necessary.

“The Committee’s draft legislation amounts to rate setting. This is simply unnecessary and would have unintended consequences that would ultimately limit access to care.

“We look forward to working with Congress on a solution that achieves our common goal of protecting patients.”