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NAN’s Response to Republican Surprise Billing Health Deal in Congress

(New York, NY) — The National Action Network has spent 2020 fighting for health equality. One of the biggest threats to the rising Black middle class is crushing medical bills that insurance companies refuse to cover.

Democrats in Congress are pursuing a surprise medical billing fix with good intentions, but so far, no proposal on Capitol Hill would require health insurers to cover these essential, often life-saving, medical procedures. The current deal in Congress is more of the same. Our lawmakers must follow the Congressional Black Caucus’s lead in ensuring that Black access to health care is paramount in any negotiations.

On Super Tuesday, then-candidate Joe Biden described his health care agenda as “access to hospitals in rural areas as well as urban areas, access to care – a bold vision.” Congress should follow that bold vision, rather than the special interest-funded insurer bailout being pushed by Republicans like Lamar Alexander and Kevin Brady.

We urge Congress to scrap any deal that does not address narrow health insurance networks and protect access to quality care for underserved communities.