Member Call to Action: Surprise Billing Impacts Smaller Practices December 5, 2019 Doctors, Insurance, Member Call to Action, Physicians, Surprise Billing 1095 Membership Alert: 12pm Deadline! With Congress looking for ways to protect patients from surprise medical bills, there could potentially be devastating unintended consequences that certain proposals under consideration could have on smaller and independent physician practices which is why LACMA urges members of Congress to ensure a thoughtful approach as the various proposals are brought forth for consideration. Therefore, any federal solution to surprise billing must include a reasonable initial payment. Any mechanism that ties out-of-network payment to a median in-network benchmark will allow insurers to forego entirely contracting with physicians because they will have access to a discounted contract rate (the median in-network) without needing to provide smaller practices with any corresponding benefits of contracting in exchange. Without any real enforceable network adequacy protections for federally-regulated plans, insurance networks will only continue to narrow, preventing patients in many areas from being able to access care at all, especially in rural and underserved communities. We ask that you sign the letter below: Sign Now If you have any questions please let me know. The deadline for submitting is today at 12 noon PST. Please see the attached letter from the American Medical Association about the impact on solo and small-group physicians. View Letter Gustavo Friederichsen Chief Executive Officer Los Angeles County Medical Association “If it matters to our LACMA members, it matters to me.”