Cassidy, Alexander Near Agreement On Surprise Billing Arbitration Policy

Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) are nearing an agreement to add an arbitration backstop to the committee's surprise billing legislation, bringing the Senate plan more in line with the House version. Cassidy expects that they’ll finalize the policy over the August recess. The Senate’s surprise billing legislation currently relies on a benchmark payment rate for out-of-network charges and does not include arbitration. But several senators, led by Cassidy, have spent months lobbying Alexander...