Congress now has two very different answers to the same problem in the No Surprises Act. A new bill from Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., would end arbitration and pay out-of-network doctors a benchmark based on median in-network rates, while a doctor-backed bipartisan bill would keep arbitration and penalize insurers that fail to pay awards on time.
The split matters for patients' wallets even though the 2020 law already shields most people from surprise bills. Arbitration awards are paid by insurers, and those costs can flow into the premiums employers and workers pay each year.
