The White House is unhappy with private equity's surprise medical billing ads

• "It is vile the way they buy these groups and they prey on people.”

The backdrop: Although he didn't name Doctor Patient Unity, the group has become infamous for spending more than $28 million on ads opposing what was, over the summer, Congress' leading approach to the issue.

• NYT reported in September that the group's largest financial supporters are TeamHealth and Envision Healthcare, which are backed by private equity. The firms have generated large numbers of surprise bills.
• Doctor Patient Unity's broadcast ads have been focused on areas where senators are running for re-election in 2020.

The other side: "Doctor Patient Unity represents tens of thousands of doctors across the country who understand the importance of preserving access to life-saving medical care," said Greg Blair, a spokesman for the group.

• "We have been strong supporters of legislation that ... protects patients from surprise medical bills through independent dispute resolution," he added.

Go deeper:

• Why ending surprise medical bills is harder than it looks
• New York's very expensive surprise medical billing solution
• Private equity's other stake in surprise medical bills