Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, a Democratic seeking the congressional nomination in the 8th District, says he will introduce a bill to strengthen protections against surprise medical billing if elected.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Despite the adoption of federal protections, our working families and older residents are still being socked by too many unaffordable surprise medical bills,” Bhalla said in a statement.
“As our congressman, I will introduce legislation to strengthen these protections, to increase penalties for violators, and to provide the public with the information they need to take action, if hit with these now illegal charges.”
The No Surprises Act, enacted by Congress and signed by the president in 2020, prohibits most of out-of-network providers from imposing surprise charges. Most consumers, however, don’t know about these protections.
When still billed directly for often expensive charges, the appeals process is confusing and there are long delays in cases being resolved. During the appeals process, there is no law or rule in place to prevent health providers from seeking to collect the bill.
As a result, Bhalla said he would introduce legislation mandating that no health provider can seek payment or initiate collection proceedings while a consumer is appealing an out-of-network surprise charge for health care.
It would also create a streamlined and user- friendly appeals process, as well as upping penalties for providers that send medical bills prohibited by the No Surprises Act.
The legislation will provide funding for a public education campaign to inform consumers about federal protections against surprise billing and how to take action if you receive one.
Bhalla also criticized his opponent, U.S. Rob Menendez, for voting against a measure to protect people from surprise out-of-network hospital bills, while taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from lobbyists, pharmaceutical and insurance industry PACs.
“In voting against surprise medical billing protections, Rob Menendez Jr. put the interests of his big special interest donors ahead of the hard-working families of the 8th Congressional district and the nation,” the mayor added.
“We need to fight tooth and nail for better health care, not protect the profits of the health care industry, and the big financial players that also feast-off these practices. Unlike our current Congressman, I will work hard every day to make health care affordable for all.”
The topic came up at the New Jersey Globe’s debate on Sunday, to which Menendez said he felt comfortable following the lead of one of his more senior colleagues in the New Jersey delegation.
” … I was standing next to Frank Pallone, whose a ranking member of Energy and Commerce, when that bill came up, and he was telling me about some of the jurisdictional background on it, some of the committee work on that issue,” he replied.
“There is no greater champion in Congress than Frank Pallone on things like surprise billing. He also voted against it, and based on the conversation that we had, I voted against it, and it being a messaging bill, not what Ravi is saying it is.”
The primary is one June 4th, with a third Democratic, Kyle Jasey, also in the partisan contest.
Hoboken was recently found to be the most expensive City to live in New Jersey
Only the very well off and subsidized can afford to stay in Hoboken.
Even Mayor Bhalla had to take second job. All Hoboken and School taxes will go up this year.
Here’s my proposal for Ravi. When the settlement bill comes before the City Council for your misdeeds, put it up for approval against your insurance, not the City of Hoboken.