Over 300 orthopedic surgeons met with congressional representatives as part of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons National Orthopaedic Leadership Conference.
Four takeaways:
1. Attendees are pushing policymakers to support legislation that would increase patient choice and access to care, transparency and competition in the health insurance market.
2. The Hospital Competition Act of 2019 would lift restrictions on physician-owned hospitals, suppressing hospital consolidation and certificate-of-need laws, diversify site neutral payments and increase price transparency.
3. The Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act of 2019 pushes for federal antitrust laws to also apply to health insurance. Increased transparency would enable physicians to negotiate fair reimbursement rates, with better access to affordable coverage for the public.
4. Attendees are also advocating for the Protecting People from Surprise Medical Bills Act to combat the rising problem of unanticipated medical bills.
"It’s becoming harder for patients to access the high quality care they need and for our doctors to provide it in a system with restrictive, outdated policies — that's why we're here in D.C. this week, advocating for change," said AAOS President Kristy Weber, MD.