Senate Bill 359, the “Surprise Billing Consumer Protection Act”, sponsored by Senator Chuck Hufstetler of Rome, received unanimous passage earlier in the week by the state Senate. According to a release from the Georgia Senate Press Office, the bill extends consumer protections against surprise billing by delineating an arbitration process between the insurer and provider, as well as establishing a maintained database of all-payer health claims and insurer payments.
Senator Hufstetler indicates in the media release, “By limiting the occurrence of unexpected charges from out-of-network providers, Senate Bill 359 allows Georgians to focus their efforts on what truly matters, meeting their medical and financial needs.”