S. 1531: STOP Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2019

116th Congress · introduced 2019-05-16 · Health · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2019-05-16 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

STOP Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2019

Plain summary

Stopping The Outrageous Practice of Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2019 or the STOP Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2019 This bill prohibits health care providers and health insurance plans from billing enrollees in excess of the in-network amount for specified health care services provided out-of-network. Specifically, a plan or provider may not charge an enrollee more than the in-network amount for services that are emergency services provided by an out-of-network provider or at an out-of-network facility; nonemergency services provided at an in-network facility by an out-of-network provider; or nonemergency services provided out-of-network to an enrollee who initially enters through an emergency room for emergency services, except under specified circumstances. Additionally, health insurance plans must pay the median in-network amount, minus the enrollee's in-network cost-sharing amount, directly to a health care provider. The bill also establishes an independent review process to resolve billing disputes between insurance plans and providers.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

STOP Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2019

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA] · 30 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Todd Young (R-IN), Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), John Kennedy (R-LA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Tina Smith (D-MN), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Hoeven (R-ND), John Cornyn (R-TX), Thom Tillis (R-NC)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA] reported raising $6.7 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116s1531.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/s>

Record fed-us-cong116-s1531 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116