Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp pledged in his State of the State address in January to come up with a remedy for out-of-network medical billing, sometimes called surprise medical billing.
On Tuesday, the Senate unanimously passed the Surprise Billing Consumer Protection Act. The bill helps remove patients from being in the middle of billing disputes between medical insurers and providers.
“No one wants to get a surprise bill. You want to know what you owe,” Sen. Gloria Butler, D-Stone Mountain, told the chamber.
The issue of surprise medical billing has received bipartisan support.
“We’ve had millions of Georgians who’ve been victims without a voice,” said Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, R-Rome, who sponsored the bill.
House Bill 888 now goes to the governor’s desk for a signature.
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