Congress leaves town this Friday December 20 (and likely earlier if they can get the omnibus appropriations bill done).

The FEHBlog heard one of those pro-surprise billing arbitration commercials on television yesterday. The commercial condemned government price fixing on surprise billers claiming that it would only benefit the evil, greedy health insurers. Baloney.

Federal and state laws are chock a block full of price controls on health care. Most notably here, the Affordable Care Act imposes a minimum medical loss ratio (MLR) on insurers. That MLR in turn limits health insurers profits. What’s wrong then with restricting out of network provider profits? Goose – gander?? The FEHBlog is no fan of government price controls but at least if government is going to place them on on side of the transaction, it makes sense to put them on other side too.