As I post this, we are a couple of short weeks before Thanksgiving. We are all thinking about things to be thankful for around this time of year and boy do I have a big one for all of us to give thanks for. It’s called the No Surprises Act and it will work toward lowering your unexpected medical bills starting January 1, 2022!
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What’s the big deal and how does it work? Well, this legislation is designed to stop out-of-network providers from billing you their full amount when you are getting emergency medical treatment and you believe your insurance company will cover all of the bills. How about that for a holiday gift? It’s a pretty good one if you ask me.
In order to take advantage of the No Surprises Act, you will need to carefully read your medical bills and watch for any out-of-network charges. If you see them, you will need to contact the medical provider and dispute the bill. Of course, there are some charges that will not be affected by the No Surprises Act. Charges like ground ambulance transport or non-emergency treatment at an Urgent Care. Still, this could be a huge savings for folks in the long run.
There are a few other things the No Surprises Act does to prevent over-billing patients. It prohibits a practice called “balance billing.” This happens when your insurance policy provides partial coverage of an out-of-network charge so your insurance company pays for part of it but the medical provider bills you directly for the balance owed on the bill. The No Surprises Act stops that from happening.
Finally, the No Surprises Act includes a requirement of transparency in the medical billing process. This rule requires healthcare providers to give patients access to accurate information, establish an arbitration process for disputed medical bills and establish an appeals process for patients who are unsatisfied with the arbitration outcome.
While this pandemic continues to affect us all medically and financially, I can’t think of better news than legislation designed to keep medical bills in check. As we move into the holiday season in the second year of a pandemic, this is truly something to be thankful for!
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