December 9, 2019: MGMA opposes 45 day billing provision in healthcare legislation

December 9, 2019  

The Honorable Lamar Alexander
Chairman
United States Senate
Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
428 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Patty Murray
Ranking Member
United States Senate
Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
428 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Frank Pallone
Chairman
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Energy & Commerce
2125 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Greg Walden
Ranking Member
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Energy & Commerce
2125 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Alexander, Ranking Member Murray, Chairman Pallone and Ranking Member Walden,

We understand that your respective committees have reached a broad agreement on key provisions contained in H.R. 2328 and S. 1895 and look forward to reviewing this important legislation. As you are considering additional policies to include in the final package, the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) expresses opposition to the inclusion of Section 305 of S. 1895, a provision that would require all practitioners and healthcare facilities to send patient bills within 45 days of the date of service or upon discharge.1 MGMA agrees that patients should receive bills in a timely manner but we are deeply concerned that this proposed method could potentially result in 850 million inaccurate patient bills annually as well as financial penalties that threaten the viability of medical group practices.
 

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