Congress must fix its No Surprises mistake

Published July 7, 2026 5:00am ET



Healthcare is one of our economy’s fastest-growing sectors, and the ability of healthcare providers to manipulate Congress is a big reason why. A modest reform meant to shield patients from surprise medical bills has become a multibillion-dollar windfall for hospitals, doctors, lawyers, and arbitrators. Patients pay the price through higher insurance premiums. Congress must fix its mistake.

Congress passed the No Surprises Act to solve a real problem. Patients who followed the rules by paying their premiums and going to in-network hospitals were being ambushed by surprise bills from out-of-network emergency room doctors, anesthesiologists, and radiologists they had not chosen and often had not even met.

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