Better Solutions for Healthcare

Axios: Surprise medical bills could be a powerful campaign issue

Surprise medical bills could be a powerful campaign issue

Axios
9/24/18

There is growing interest in the problem of surprise medical bills in the media and on Capitol Hill, with a bipartisan group of senators drafting legislation to crack down on the problem. But the issue has not been prominent in midterm campaigns and is not showing up in campaign ads.

Why it matters: Recent analyses, including polling and a report on employers’ medical claims, show that surprise bills could have as much — or even more — traction with the public than other health issues being featured in the midterms. In an election where health care is top-of-mind, candidates may be missing an opportunity.

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The big picture: As the chart shows, unexpected medical bills are the number one health cost problem people worry about, ahead of all the cost issues that get more attention, including deductibles, drug costs, and premiums. They’re even a bigger concern than other family expenses, such as paying the rent, mortgage, or utilities.

  • Surprise medical bills also affect a lot of people. In a recent Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll, four in ten adults (39 percent) say they had a surprise bill from a doctor, hospital or lab in the past year.
  • 10 percent report that an unexpected bill was from an out-of-network provider.