Commentary: The SITE Act Could Save Tennesseans Millions in Healthcare Spending

The escalating cost of health care in America has reached an unsustainable level, leaving millions of Americans saddled with medical debt. In Tennessee alone, 61 percent of residents have grappled with the burden of health care affordability, with 78 percent expressing concerns about affording health care in the future. As many of my fellow college students would agree, working within the confines of a tight budget means that the impact of high medical bills is that much more acute. And as a concerned and engaged citizen, I feel compelled to shine a spotlight on these critical affordability issues that impact everyone in my community.

 High health care costs have rightfully become the focus of intense scrutiny. Many Americans are wrestling with all-too-high medical bills, and government health care programs consistently rank among the largest annual federal expenditures. With an aging population and an ever-changing public health environment, it is incumbent upon our elected officials to examine more solutions to bring down health care costs.

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Report: Millions of Americans Struggling Due to Medical Debt

A new report suggests that middle-class Americans are struggling with greater medical debt than any other class of Americans, with one out of every four having unpaid medical bills.

As Axios reports, the data comes from the left-wing think tank Third Way, which calculates that as many as 17 million middle-class Americans – those making between $50,000 and $100,000 per year – are struggling to pay off medical debts. Middle-class Americans in particular are even less likely to qualify for Medicare than low-income Americans.

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Nearly 40 Percent of Veterans Reported Concerns About Being Able to Pay Medical Bills

A new report from the National Center for Health Statistics found that nearly 40% of veterans reported concerns about being able to pay their medical bills. 

Overall, the report found that 12.8% of veterans aged 25-64 had problems paying medical bills, 8.4% had forgone medical care and 38.4% were somewhat or very worried about being able to pay their medical bills if they got sick or had an accident. 

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New Consumer Protection Law Will Forbid ‘Surprise’ Medical Bills to Patients

Anew law going into effect on Saturday forbids medical providers from issuing “surprise” charges to patients using out-of-network services.

The “No Surprises Act,” passed in late 2020, offers consumers “new billing protections when getting emergency care, non-emergency care from out-of-network providers at in-network facilities, and air ambulance services from out-of-network providers,” according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

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Commentary: Congress Must Pass a True Conservative Solution for Surprise Billing

Congress is poised to address surprise medical billing, an issue that has hurt too many patients in Tennessee and throughout the nation—that is, if they can muster the fortitude to pass a commonsense proposal that upholds the free market ideals conservatives should embrace. However, some of the so-called solutions that have been put forward betray these values and would result in greater government interference into our health care system, which is the last thing we need.

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Open Letter to the Tennessee Congressional Delegation on Surprise Medical Billing by Several Tennessee Physicians

Tennessee’s medical community is increasingly concerned with the practice of surprise medical billing that impacts so many of our patients. It is time for Congress to enact federal legislation that will protect patients from the unwanted “surprise” that comes when they are stuck with a surprise bill for medical care they thought would be covered by their insurance company.

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