Welcome to Axis ProRata, where we take just 10 minutes to get you smarter on the collision of tech, business, and politics.

I'm Deborah Mack. On today's show, the latest on China's facial recognition regime and a new, better type of private equity.

But first, surprise medical bills.

So you've probably heard something lately about these, these surprise medical bills, particularly

if you've watched some of the Democratic presidential debates. In short, they're generally

when patients go to a medical provider that's out of network and then get personally

charged for the difference between what the

provider charges and what the patient's health care insurance is willing to pay. This can even

happen if you go to an in-network facility like a hospital, but get treated by an out-of-network

doctor. Now, sometimes the bills can be just a few dollars, but they can also be thousands of

dollars, leading to some of the medical

bankruptcies we hear about. Not surprisingly, surprise medical bills are not terribly popular

among Americans, with surveys showing that around half of us have received one. So Congress

and the White House have been working on a solution for over a year, but it is very complicated.

After all, remember, the extra money does need to come from

somewhere. If it's not going to come from patients, then either health care insurers are going to

need to pay, or health care providers are going to need to pay, or maybe a combination of the two.

This past Sunday night may have seen a breakthrough, though, as some bipartisan top members

of Congressional Health Care committees announced an agreement. But within hours, the health care industry voiced its opposition,

and given what we know about Washington, D.C., that means getting this deal passed is anything

but a sure bet. In the meantime, surprise medical bills continue to be mixed in with the holiday

cards. In 15 seconds, we'll go deeper with Axios Healthcare reporter Caitlin Owens.

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