FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 17, 2019

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Donelon Backs Trump Plan for Surprise Billing Fix

Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon announced his support today for President Donald Trump’s latest release on protecting patients and their families from surprise billing. Released last week, the Administration outlined principles on surprise billing to Congress in an attempt to curb bills that hit an estimated 20 percent of hospital admissions to the emergency room according to a fact sheet from the White House.

Insurance Commissioner Donelon stated “Throughout my term as Commissioner, I have found this practice to be unfair to patients at a time when they are most vulnerable. I have worked to change our laws and protect our citizens from suffering the dual impact of illness and astronomical bills by highlighting this practice.”

Surprise billing, also called balanced billing, occurs when patients receive services at an in-network hospital from an out-of-network doctor or provider. The patient is then hit with a larger than expected bill for one of two reasons: their out-of-pocket maximum is higher for out-of-network providers or the treating physician can charge more directly to patients since they did not agree to join the insured’s network of providers. It can also occur in emergency situations when a patient has limited ability to choose their provider.

Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon thanks President Trump and Senator Bill Cassidy for their strong support of and attention to this issue and urges all members of the Louisiana Congressional delegation to help protect local families from the devastation of these unfair bills.

About the Louisiana Department of Insurance: The Louisiana Department of Insurance works to improve competition in the state’s insurance market while assisting individuals and businesses with the information and resources they need to be informed consumers of insurance. As a regulator, the LDI enforces the laws that provide a fair and stable marketplace and makes certain that insurers comply with the laws in place to protect policyholders. You can contact the LDI by calling 1-800-259-5300 or visiting www.ldi.la.gov.