The federal , which aims to eliminate unexpected out-of-network medical bills, took effect Jan. 1, and KHN correspondents hit the airwaves to explain the new law.
KHN senior correspondent Julie Appleby appeared on NPR鈥檚 鈥淲eekend Edition鈥� on Sunday to give background on why the law was necessary: Surveys showed that up to 1 in 5 emergency department visits and 1 in 10 elective surgeries resulted in an unexpected, out-of-network bill.
Julie Rovner, KHN鈥檚 chief Washington correspondent and the host of KHN鈥檚 鈥淲hat the Health?鈥� podcast, joined NPR/WBUR鈥檚 鈥淗ere & Now鈥� on Monday. Rovner detailed how the new law鈥檚 鈥渂aseball arbitration-style process鈥� is supposed to work out billing disputes between care providers and insurers 鈥� without leaving patients on the hook.