Two Murphy Amendments Unanimously Adopted in Surprise Billing Markup

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03) issued the following statement after two of his amendments were unanimously adopted during a markup of H.R. 5800 in the House Committee on Education and Labor.

"There is bipartisan agreement that surprise billing is a major problem for patients and families across America. It desperately needs to be addressed. While I'm glad we discussed the best path forward to alleviate the problems of surprise billing, the legislation reported out of the committee today is not the right solution to this problem," said Murphy.

"Patients should not be caught in the middle of disputes between insurers and providers. Yet at the same time, the American process of negotiation should be respected. Placing a cap on when negotiations can and can't occur leads to government price controls, which would give insurance companies a massive and unfair advantage over those who provide care to their patients.

"Though I could not support the bill in its entirety, I was glad to improve it with two amendments that were adopted unanimously. As a physician, I will continue to utilize my expertise on these issues to lower the cost of healthcare and increase patient access to provide Americans with the greatest treatments possible."