No Surprises Act
When you get emergency care or get treated by an out-of-network doctor at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, you may be protected from surprise billing or balance billing.
What is “balance billing” (sometimes called “surprise billing”)?
When you see a doctor or other health care provider, you may owe certain out-of-pocket costs, such as a copayment, coinsurance, and/or a deductible. You may have other costs or have to pay the entire bill if you see a doctor or visit a health care facility that isn’t in your health plan’s network.
“Out-of-network” describes doctors and facilities that haven’t signed a contract with your health plan. Out-of-network doctors may be permitted to bill you for the difference between what your plan agreed to pay and the full amount charged for a service. This is called “balance billing”. This amount is likely more than in-network costs for the same service and might not count toward your annual out-of-pocket limit. “Surprise billing” is an unexpected balance bill. This can happen when you can’t control who is involved in your care—like when you have an emergency or when you schedule a visit at an in-network facility but are unexpectedly treated by an out-of-network doctor.
You are protected from balance billing for:
Emergency services
If you have an emergency medical condition and get emergency services from an out-of-network doctor or facility, the most the doctor or facility may bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount (such as copayments and coinsurance). You can’t be balance billed for these emergency services. This includes services you may get after you’re in stable condition, unless you give written consent and give up your protections not to be balanced billed for these post-stabilization services.
Certain services at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center
When you get services from an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, certain doctors there may be out-of-network. In these cases, the most those doctors may bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount. This applies to emergency medicine, anesthesia, pathology, radiology, laboratory, neonatology, assistant surgeon, hospitalist, or intensivist services. These doctors can’t balance bill you and may not ask you to give up your protections not to be balance billed.
If you get other services at these in-network facilities, out-of-network doctors can’t balance bill you, unless you give written consent and give up your protections.
You’re never required to give up your protections from balance billing. You also aren’t required to get care out-of-network. You can choose a doctor or facility in your plan’s network.
When balance billing isn’t allowed, you also have the following protections:
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You are only responsible for paying your share of the cost (like the copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles that you would pay if the provider or facility was in-network). Your health plan will pay out-of-network doctors and facilities directly.
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Your health plan generally must:
- Cover emergency services without requiring you to get approval for services in advance (prior authorization).
- Cover emergency services by out-of-network doctors.
- Base what you owe the provider or facility (cost-sharing) on what it would pay an in-network doctor or facility and show that amount in your explanation of benefits.
- Count any amount you pay for emergency services or out-of-network services toward your deductible and out-of-pocket limit.
If you believe you’ve been wrongly billed, you may contact the Customer Service department at the number listed on the back of your ID card.
Visit https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/Ending-Surprise-Medical-Bills for more information about your rights under federal law.
