Surprise Billing Effort Jump-Started by Ways and Means Committee (1)

The House Ways and Means Committee Friday released its own version of legislation designed to curb unexpectedly high medical bills that often come from out-of-network specialists and emergency room visits.

The committee is expected to mark up the measure Feb. 12, signaling new momentum on a bipartisan effort that stalled late last year when a separate version failed to make it into a year-end spending bill.

A key point of contention in the debate is how insurers and hospitals resolve unpaid bills from out-of-network providers. The Ways and Means version is an attempt to recognize a “free market” within the ...