U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, is celebrating the recent passage of the No Surprises Act. Effective Jan. 1, the act prohibits surprise medical billing when patients are unknowingly provided care, as in an emergency, by an out-of-network provider at an in-network facility.

“In cases like these patients receive surprise medical bills … sometimes $100,000 and the insurance companies won’t pay.”

The act will cover emergency services, post-emergency stabilization and non-emergency care provided at an in-network facility by an out of network provider.

“They will only pay what they would pay if they were at an in-network facility,” Cassidy said. “The insurance company is forced to negotiate and the doctors will go to arbitration with them but this takes folks (patients) out of the middle.”

Additionally, Cassidy, celebrated the failure to pass President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Plan. Instead of the “reckless tax and spending bill,” he said the focus needs to be on fighting inflation.

“Inflation is now the top threat to our economy. The administration needs to get serious about inflation.”

Cassidy also said rather than “creating new government programs, new debt” attention should be on current problems like Social Security. “Social Security is going insolvent…It needs protection,” he said.

Now that the bi-partisan infrastructure bill has passed and money already is being disbursed for airports and water infrastructure, Cassidy said he’s received tremendous support and excitement from industry, local chambers of commerce and the average citizen.

“It’s great to see Louisiana excited about upcoming investment in our infrastructure.”