Getty Images / Verywell Health
Key Takeaways
Life holds many wonderful surprises.
Unexpected medical bills, however, are not one of them.
The law, also known as the No Surprises Act, will take full effect starting in January 2022.
Getty Images / Verywell Health
It also creates a complaint system so patients can report nonconsensual out-of-internet charges.
For non-emergency health care, patients may choose a hospital or specialist that is covered by insurance.
Such cases typically arise when someone is treated by specialists like anesthesiologists and pathologists.
The law will still protect the patient from surprise medical bills in non-emergency situations.
The new law goes further by regulating non-emergency services as well.
Health insurance should offer patients peace of mind that they won’t be saddled with unexpected costs.
Althoughhealth providers poured millions of dollars into lobbying against the legislation, this bill received bipartisan support in Congress.
All eyes are still waiting on that piece of the regulations, Amin says.
The first regulation seems to focus on getting the consumer protections clearly laid out.
Insurance companies and health providers must divvy up the extra expenses rather than passing them onto the patient.
Garmon C, Chartock B.One in five inpatient emergency department cases may lead to surprise bills.Health Affairs.
