Legislation is advancing in the Senate and Assembly that would crackdown on out-of-network health insurance charges, saving more than $1 billion every year for consumers, businesses, and taxpayers.

Research by New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP) shows that about 168,000 consumers every year directly receive egregious charges for involuntary out-of-network services. As a result of this billing practice, most of New Jersey’s five million privately insured health care consumers end up paying higher premiums. NJPP’s research finds that the added cost to consumers statewide is as much as $1 billion dollars every year.

Trying to keep pace with rising health care costs is hard enough already without having to worry about being charged $35,000 for a one night hospital stay, as has been reported in our state. This type of price gouging not only hurts consumers, businesses, and taxpayers, but undermines our entire health care system.

Union members – public, private, and building trades – would benefit from reining in out-of-network charges due to lower costs for public health insurance plans and lower costs for self-insured plans. We are counting on your support to advance this critical bill, promoting patient care and cost fairness.