Consumer Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2020
Latest action. Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by voice voteA vote decided by which side sounds louder. No individual positions are recorded, so no member can be held to a position afterward.Read the full definition (opens a new tab).
Consumer Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2020
This bill makes a series of changes related to health care costs and billing practices. Among other things, the bill
applies the in-network cost-sharing amount to certain emergency and related nonemergency services that are provided out-of-network,
applies the in-network cost-sharing amount to nonemergency services that are provided out-of-network at an in-network facility unless specified written notice requirements are met,
establishes procedures for health insurance plans to negotiate reimbursement amounts paid to out-of-network providers in states without such a process,
requires insurance plans to establish publicly available databases that list the contact information for in-network providers and facilities,
requires health care providers and insurance plans to provide certain cost estimates for services scheduled at least three days in advance,
requires plans to continue benefits for specified long-term care when an insurance plan's contractual relationship with a provider or facility changes or terminates,
requires insurance plans to include specified consumer assistance and benefits information on a plan holder's membership card and maintain certain price comparison tools for in-network services,
establishes reporting requirements related to air ambulance services,
establishes a temporary income tax deduction for specified expenses resulting from out-of-network and emergency services.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on February 10, 2020. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Civibrief does not map this action to a stage in the process. See the official record.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
The latest action on file does not map to a stage Civibrief recognizes, so the page will not name one. The record's own words are the reliable fact here.
The record's latest action, on February 12, 2020: Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Voice Vote.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 116th Congress (2019-20), 344 of the 14,345 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one has no outstanding steps listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
RICHARD NEAL (D-MA) introduced it on February 10, 2020, and 40 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 18 Democrats, 22 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on February 10, 2020, 2404 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2402 days ago, on February 12, 2020.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 116th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2021 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseOrdered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- SenateNot stated in the latest action
- PresidentNot stated in the latest action