Mystery Solved: Private-Equity-Backed Firms Are Behind Ad Blitz on 'Surprise Billing'

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Source: New York Times

Mystery Solved: Private-Equity-Backed Firms Are Behind Ad Blitz on ‘Surprise Billing’

Two doctor-staffing companies are pushing back against legislation that could hit their bottom lines.

By Margot Sanger-Katz, Julie Creswell and Reed Abelson
Sept. 13, 2019

Early this summer, Congress appeared on its way to eradicating the large medical bills that have shocked many patients after emergency care. The legislation to end out-of-network charges was popular and had support from both sides of the aisle. President Trump promised his support.

Then, in late July, a mysterious group called Doctor Patient Unity showed up. It poured vast sums of money — now more than $28 million — into ads opposing the legislation, without disclosing its staff or its funders.

Trying to guess who was behind the ads became something of a parlor game in some Beltway circles.

Now, the mystery is solved. The two largest financial backers of Doctor Patient Unity are TeamHealth and Envision Healthcare, private-equity-backed companies that own physician practices and staff emergency rooms around the country, according to Greg Blair, a spokesman for the group.

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Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/13/upshot/surprise-billing-laws-ad-spending-doctor-patient-unity.html


A piece of direct mail recently sent to voters in New Hampshire by Doctor Patient Unity. The group has also run ads on television and on social media.

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