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Georgia Senate passes bill to limit surprise medical bills

FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2020 file photo, State Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, Chairman of the Finance Committee, speaks to the media while gathered with other Senate leaders during the first day of the general session of the state legislature in Atlanta. Hufstetler sponsored a bill that would protect some patients from receiving unexpected medical bills. The legislation, which passed unanimously, would require insurers in many cases to pay for care by a doctor or at a hospital that is not within their network of medical providers. It also would limit patient liability for any costs. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2020 file photo, State Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, Chairman of the Finance Committee, speaks to the media while gathered with other Senate leaders during the first day of the general session of the state legislature in Atlanta. Hufstetler sponsored a bill that would protect some patients from receiving unexpected medical bills. The legislation, which passed unanimously, would require insurers in many cases to pay for care by a doctor or at a hospital that is not within their network of medical providers. It also would limit patient liability for any costs. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)

By BEN NADLER and SUDHIN THANAWALA / The Associated Press 3 min read

ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia’s state Senate passed legislation Monday that would protect some patients from receiving unexpected medical bills.

The legislation, passed unanimously, would require insurers in many cases to pay for care by a doctor or at a hospital that is not within their network of medical providers. It also would limit patient liability for any costs.

Lawmakers have been working on legislation to limit surprise billing for several years without success. But the effort has gained momentum this session. State House and Senate members working on the issue have come to a consensus – a mirror bill is advancing in the House – and Gov. Brian Kemp has identified the issue as one of his top priorities for the year.

“This is a very carefully crafted solution with many, many hours of work by the governor’s staff, the lieutenant governor’s staff, the House and Senate,” Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, a Republican from Rome who sponsored the bill, said Monday.

Sen. Ben Watson, a Savannah Republican, said during a committee hearing for the bill that he would consider the session a “failed” one if surprise billing legislation didn’t get passed.