Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat seeking the 2020 presidential nomination, Thursday outlined a bipartisan effort they are spearheading in hopes of protecting Americans from unexpected medical costs.
"The bill is to recognize the principle first that the patient should be the reason for the care, not an excuse for the bill," Cassidy told MSNBC's "Morning Joe," explaining that the patient would not get a bill for tens of thousands of dollars when treated out-of-network in an emergency situation, but would be billed what would be normally paid for an in-network rate.
"I'm so pleased to be doing this with Sen. Cassidy who is actually a doctor, so he understands what we're trying to do, which is to protect Americans from getting a surprise medical bill when they're out of network after an emergency," said Bennet. "Fifteen percent of people that are treated in this country end up with a staggering bill because it's not in their insurance network, and this just says that's not going to happen anymore...we actually have a chance of passing a bipartisan bill around here, which is a rare and welcome occurrence."
Cassidy said he thinks President Donald Trump will sign the bill, as he is "clearly concerned about surprise medical billing."
Further, Cassidy said he and Bennet both agree that the matter is not a Republican or Democratic one, but a "kitchen table issue."