Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) issued the following statement after introducing H.R. 1384. The legislation permits “balance billing,” which will increase access to quality health care for Medicare patients by making it easier for their doctors to be reimbursed for treatment costs.

“As we tackle a broken health system, increasing access to quality care for all patients must be a top priority,” said Rep. Price. “Due to a flawed financing mechanism, Medicare patients are increasingly being turned away from the vital care they need. By ensuring that necessary treatments are covered, we can provide patients with greater access to quality care in a way that preserves the doctor-patient relationship. For too long, misguided government policies have been a barrier to quality care. H.R. 1384 is the type of reform needed to once again put patients first.”

Note: H.R. 1384, known as “balance billing” legislation, allows nonparticipating physicians to balance bill patients under the Medicare program. This provides a means to bridge the gap between inadequate Medicare payment levels and actual increases in medical practice costs, opening the door for greater patient access and increased quality of care.