End Surprise Medical Bills

Floor Speech

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Mr. RUIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate an important milestone in the fight to protect patients from unfair and expensive surprise medical bills.

For too many middle-class families, receiving an unexpected and very expensive bill from an out-of-network provider is devastating and can lead to severe anxiety, depression, and financial ruin.

That is why, yesterday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed H.R. 3630, the No Surprises Act, a bill that will protect millions of hardworking Americans from receiving a surprise medical bill through no fault of their own.

I am fighting to end surprise medical bills once and for all. The No Surprises Act includes my bipartisan amendment to create an independent arbitration process that keeps patients out of the middle and off the hook for surprise medical bills.

As an emergency medicine physician, my life's work has been about putting patients first, and I am still fighting to put their health above all else.

I thank Chairman Pallone for leading an open, inclusive, and collaborative process that has brought us one step closer to a bipartisan solution that protects patients and ends surprise medical bills.

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