Bill Overview
Title: No Surprises for Survivors Act of 2022
Description: This bill requires health insurance plans to cover, with no cost sharing, medical forensic examinations for sexual assault patients.
Sponsors: Rep. Sánchez, Linda T. [D-CA-38]
Target Audience
Population: People requiring medical forensic examinations for sexual assault
Estimated Size: 8000000
- Sexual assault survivors often require medical forensic examinations to collect evidence and address immediate health concerns.
- The bill mandates health insurance plans to cover these examinations without cost sharing, relieving financial burdens.
- This affects not only those who currently experience sexual assault but also future survivors.
- Healthcare providers who administer medical forensic exams will also be impacted by changes in billing and insurance claims processing.
Reasoning
- The policy primarily targets survivors of sexual assault by eliminating the financial burden associated with necessary medical forensic examinations. The RAINN organization estimates a significant number of survivors might seek these services, making the number of directly impacted individuals relatively high.
- Given the budget of $68 billion over 10 years, a substantial amount could be allocated annually to support approximately 8 million individuals in the United States, as estimated in the global projection. This means potentially transforming their health care experience immediately following a traumatic event.
- Including stories from healthcare providers is essential to understand the broad impact and potential administrative changes that the policy brings into healthcare settings.
Simulated Interviews
Graduate Student (New York, NY)
Age: 23 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I think this policy can make a huge difference for survivors like me. We already deal with so much emotionally, having one less financial worry is a relief.
- It's crucial we're not discouraged from obtaining necessary medical examinations due to high costs.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 5 |
Software Engineer (San Francisco, CA)
Age: 31 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy will get people the help they need without them worrying about the cost. I remember my sister was too overwhelmed to think about expenses right after her incident.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 6 |
Nurse (Chicago, IL)
Age: 45 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Anything that supports patients in crisis is vital. This policy could also streamline processes in hospitals regarding payment concerns.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 7 |
Health Insurance Specialist (Houston, TX)
Age: 52 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This could streamline many claims processes that currently require detailed negotiations and can ease the burden on survivors in understanding their benefits.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
Therapist (Atlanta, GA)
Age: 34 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I see many clients who are distressed about adding financial worries to their trauma. This policy offers them peace of mind and encourages them to seek help.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 7 |
Activist (Los Angeles, CA)
Age: 29 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- It is vital to remove barriers for anyone choosing to come forward and receive medical attention, especially in marginalized communities where such barriers can be even greater.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 5 |
Survivor Advocate (New Orleans, LA)
Age: 40 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Survivors need to focus on healing, not on bills. This move is incredibly supportive and removes barriers.
- It's also about timely care which is crucial for both health and gathering evidence.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 9 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 6 |
Healthcare Administrator (Denver, CO)
Age: 50 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This bill simplifies processes and helps in reducing administrative tasks related to disputes over cost-sharing.
- Hospitals might see changes in the insurance claim approval rates as a result.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 7 |
College Student (Miami, FL)
Age: 25 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- In my own experience, worrying about money after such a traumatic event felt overwhelming. This policy will give survivors like me a chance to focus on recovery.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 4 |
Policy Analyst (Seattle, WA)
Age: 39 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- From a policy perspective, this is a necessary change to ensure equity in healthcare. Removing financial barriers is a fundamental need in our healthcare system.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 6 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $6800000000 (Low: $4000000000, High: $9600000000)
Year 2: $6800000000 (Low: $4000000000, High: $9600000000)
Year 3: $6800000000 (Low: $4000000000, High: $9600000000)
Year 5: $6800000000 (Low: $4000000000, High: $9600000000)
Year 10: $6800000000 (Low: $4000000000, High: $9600000000)
Year 100: $6800000000 (Low: $4000000000, High: $9600000000)
Key Considerations
- The legislative change impacts insurers but not federal budgetary expense directly, leading to shifts in insurance costs rather than changes in federal expenditure.
- Ensure a comprehensive understanding of healthcare market dynamics to better anticipate the potential increase in insurance premiums as companies redistribute costs across their client base.
- A significant assumption is that all sexual assault survivors estimated will seek a medical forensic examination, which may not fully represent actual medical behavior.