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Congressman Andy Harris (R-Md.) recently led a letter opposed to price controls as a solution to surprise medical billing.

The letter was signed by 38 other members including House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Republican Study Committee Chairman Mike Johnson (R-La.), and House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Mark Meadows (R-N.C.).

Rep. Harris and all signers should be commended for standing against price controls.

ATR has long opposed policies that directly or indirectly impose price controls on the US healthcare system. Price controls are bad policy because they utilize government power to forcefully lower costs in a way that distorts the economically efficient behavior and natural incentives created by the free market.

In the context of surprise billing, some lawmakers have proposed using rate-setting for any payments made to out-of-network providers. Under this system, the government would set a benchmark rate to resolve out-of-network payment disputes between insurers and providers. Benchmark rate-setting would replace private negotiations between insurers and providers with government-set prices, a blatant price control on the healthcare system. 

The signers explained the numerous problems with using rate-setting to address surprise billing, noting: 

“…we oppose price controls as a solution to the issue as a solution to the issue of surprise medical billing. By design, placing such price controls on purely private transactions, would reduce access to care, increase the power of the federal government, and result in negative unintended consequences.” 

Signers also acknowledged that while Congress should act on surprise billing, any legislation that includes price controls would be a nonstarter. As the letter states: 

“Congress should act on surprise medical billing, but it should avoid top-down price controls that would simply be trading one problem for another.” 

Conservative lawmakers have consistently expressed significant opposition to price fixing mechanisms within healthcare. For instance, 192 Republicans opposed H.R. 3, legislation that would impose price controls on pharmaceutical innovation under threat of a 95 percent excise tax.

Lawmakers need to take a serious, deliberative approach in addressing surprise billing instead of rushing to pass a flawed proposal that imposes price controls on our healthcare system. 

Thankfully, conservative lawmakers are standing firm in advocating against surprise billing proposals that rely on distortionary price fixing mechanisms.