Patricia Kelmar
Senior Director, Health Care Campaigns, PIRG
Interview opportunity: New law going into effect Jan. 1 should eliminate most surprise medical bills for U.S. patients
Media Contacts
Expert on ‘No Surprises Act’ available to simplify complex story for your audience
U.S. PIRG
WASHINGTON — Surprise medical bills have added insult to injury for American patients for decades. Now, come Jan. 1, the landmark No Surprises Act will cure this ailment for millions of Americans by protecting them from most unexpected invoices from out-of-network providers. These often-exorbitant charges come from balance billing — when out-of-network medical providers bill you the difference between their fees and the maximum amount your insurance company is willing to pay.
The No Surprises Act will be a godsend for Americans facing medical bills, but many of its nuances are difficult to explain to a layperson. PIRG’s Health Care Campaigns Director Patricia Kelmar, J.D., who has been working with The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to finalize some portions of the Act, is available throughout December to help translate the provisions of the Act to your audience. She may be able to connect you with patients who have had bad experiences with surprise billing. She is also able to explain how the lawsuit filed Thursday by the American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association would harm patients. That litigation seeks to block federal rules establishing an arbitration system to settle out-of-network bills.
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If you have video needs, Patricia can do Zoom interviews either live or to tape.
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If you have audio needs, Patricia can speak either by Zoom or by phone, either live or to tape.
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If you have print needs, Patricia can speak either by Zoom or by phone.
Please contact Patricia at [email protected] or 609-651-7654. Or you can contact PIRG’s Director of Media Relations Mark Morgenstein at [email protected], 678-427-1671.
You can find out more about surprise medical bills on the U.S. PIRG website.
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