Last week, Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, reintroduced bipartisan legislation to protect new parents from surprise medical bills.
The No Surprise Bills For New Moms Act is co-led by Congresswoman Kaitie Porter, D-Irvine, and would simplify the process for enrolling newborn children in health coverage, according to a news release.
“As parents in Southwest Washington welcome a newborn baby into their lives, many are unknowingly incurring thousands of dollars in surprise medical billing simply because the window to complete enrollment paperwork is so narrow during this hectic time,” Herrera Beutler said in the news release. “This kind of surprise billing is contributing to rising health care costs for families across our nation. The bipartisan bill I’m helping lead will help give parents peace of mind that they’ll have more flexibility to enroll their child in health insurance after birth without risking these exorbitant and unnecessary costs.
According to the release from Herrera Beutler’s office, the No Surprise Bills for New Moms Act would automatically cover newborns for the first 30 days on the mother’s insurance and create a standard for enrollment after that period. The bill would also require that all health plans and insurers notify parents if they receive a bill for an uncovered newborn.
