We need to balance patient needs with availability of services

To The Daily Sun,

Health care in the United States is a complex issue with many intricate parts. It’s difficult to address one area without inadvertently impacting another.

This seems to be the case with the current effort to “fix” surprise billing in our country. While everyone can agree no patient should be left to shoulder the burden of surprise medical bills, we need to simultaneously ensure the very lifesaving services these same patients rely upon will be there when they need them most.

As a former airline pilot who resided in a more rural part of our state, I am concerned about the devastating impact any government rate-setting plan would have on the resources we rely on when emergencies do arise. Where we live, we rely on air and ground ambulance services to ensure patients receive the critical care they need in a timely manner. Any plan that would even potentially limit the availability of services and trained professionals should be carefully reconsidered.

Unfortunately, under the current proposal, these services would be at risk, since insurance companies would have no incentive to negotiate in-network rates with hospitals or doctors, since the government has decided to use insurance company’s formulas to set the rates.

It is my hope that Congress can find a solution to surprise billing that protects patients without harming the critical services so many of us around the state may one day rely on.

James Beard

Meredith