Kansas Dem Sharice Davids introduces bill to tackle surprise medical billing

Rep. Sharice Davids filed legislation Monday intended to tackle the issue of surprise medical bills.

The Kansas Democrat's bill would require health insurance companies to update their directories of in-network providers every six months.

Current law doesn't have any requirement for how often insurers must update their list of providers, which can lead to hefty bills for patients who inadvertently go to a provider on an old list that is no longer in their network. Davids' bill could be rolled into a larger package as the U.S. House considers an array of legislation on the issue.

"When Kansans look to see if a doctor or hospital is in-network from their insurance company, they expect and depend on that information to be accurate, so they can make decisions about care for themselves and their families," Davids said Monday. "But right now, too many folks are unknowingly relying on inaccurate information – and are paying the price in surprise medical bills."

Shalae Harris, the program director of the Alzheimer's Association's Kansas City chapter, said elderly people and people with Alzheimer's are particularly vulnerable to being hit with surprise medical bills.

"We do hear a lot that our seniors do not understand their insurance," said Harris, who participated in a panel with Davids on the issue earlier this month.