Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 9, 2019 PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP WANTS TO PROTECT PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES FROM SURPRISE BILLING    “The seen and unseen costs of healthcare are still taking an enormous toll on millions of American families.” – President Donald J. Trump LIFTING THE BURDEN OF SURPRISE BILLING: President Donald J. Trump is putting forward principles to address the problem of surprise billing in healthcare.  American families deserve to be protected against the burden of costly, surprise bills when their loved ones receive medical care.   A 2018 poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 67 percent of Americans worry about unexpected medical bills, with 38 percent saying they are very worried.   Patients are often hit with surprise bills after receiving emergency care from an out-of-network provider, when they could not choose their provider. Patients also often receive surprise bills at highly inflated prices after receiving care from an out-of-network provider they reasonably assumed was in their network. The Trump Administration believes that any effort to address the issue of surprise billing should be undertaken with these principles in mind: Patients receiving emergency care should not be forced to shoulder extra costs billed by a care provider but not covered by their insurer.  Patients receiving scheduled care should have information about whether providers are in or out of their network and what costs they may face. Patients should not receive surprise bills from out-of-network providers they did not choose. Federal healthcare expenditures should not increase. PROTECTING PATIENTS: President Trump wants to ensure patients are not taken advantage of and have the price information they need to make informed decisions.  The Administration wants to ensure patients are not price gouged in emergency situations by out-of-network providers they could not choose. In emergency situations, balance billing for amounts above the in-network allowed amount should be prohibited. The Administration wants to bring transparency to the confusing and opaque pricing system patients face when scheduling care. Before scheduling their care, patients should be given information about whether the care providers are out of their network and what related costs that may bring.  COMMITTED TO LOWERING COSTS: Combating surprise billing will build on the numerous actions President Trump has taken to put patients in control and lower the costs they face.    The Trump Administration expanded short-term, limited duration insurance plans, which can be far cheaper than exchange plans and better suited to peoples’ needs.    The Administration expanded association health plans, making it more affordable for small businesses to provide health insurance to their employees.  The President signed the elimination of the individual mandate penalty. The President launched a campaign to drive down drug prices, and recently finalized a historic new requirement that drug companies include prices in television advertisements. The Food and Drug Administration set new records for generic drug approvals in 2017 and 2018, saving Americans $26 billion in the first year and a half of the Trump Administration.