House approves study of surprise medical 'balance billing' after sponsor seeks more data

The Utah House on March 9 passed Third Substitute Senate Bill 155, a legislative measure to gather data on surprise medical "balance billing" and inform future policy to protect patients from unexpected out‑of‑network charges.

House sponsor Rep. Hawkes described the measure as a data‑collection effort rather than an immediate regulatory fix. "This particular bill doesn't come up with a solution per se, but what it tries to do is get better data on the scope of the problem," Hawkes said, adding the study will track how often balance billing occurs and which physicians, physician types or hospitals are involved.

Hawkes told the chamber that balance billing can produce "huge bills" for consumers who have no control over whether they receive services from out‑of‑network providers. Rep. Ward and Rep. Harrison rose in support; Ward emphasized the lack of contract between patients and unanticipated providers and said better data would be a first step toward protecting patients.

After floor discussion the House voted to pass the measure; the reading clerk recorded the result as 64 yes and 0 no. The bill's text sets up reporting and data collection timelines to inform future policy options; it attracted support from the Utah Medical Association and major insurers, according to the sponsor's remarks on the floor.

The floor action did not adopt an immediate policy change or set reimbursement rates; it authorized gathering evidence for subsequent deliberations.