AHIP Seeks Bipartisan Fix to No Surprises Act Arbitration, Citing Premium Impact
AHIP on Oct. 15, 2026, amplified a Washington Post op-ed by Paragon Health Institute's Brian Blase and Jackson Hammond arguing that provider-driven abuse of the No Surprises Act's independent dispute resolution (IDR) process is raising premiums for families and employers.
According to the op-ed, a new Paragon analysis found providers win roughly 85 percent of disputes, with the 2025 median award reportedly four times the median in-network rate. The authors also argued that arbitrators' compensation tied to dispute volume makes providers — who file over 99 percent of disputes — functionally their clients, and that high awards give providers leverage to demand higher in-network rates.
The op-ed further stated that private equity firms have entered the space, building business models around keeping providers out of network and securing high arbitration payouts.
AHIP spokesman Chris Bond said the No Surprises Act was intended to protect patients and employers from surprise bills and lower overall healthcare costs, and that common-sense, bipartisan policy solutions are needed to stop abuse of the law by some out-of-network providers and private equity firms.