{"id":3353,"date":"2022-01-20T14:39:09","date_gmt":"2022-01-20T19:39:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medent.com\/news\/?p=3353"},"modified":"2022-01-20T14:43:50","modified_gmt":"2022-01-20T19:43:50","slug":"no-surprises-understand-your-rights-against-surprise-medical-bills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medent.com\/connect\/2022\/01\/20\/no-surprises-understand-your-rights-against-surprise-medical-bills\/","title":{"rendered":"No Surprises: Understand your rights against surprise medical bills"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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No Surprises: Understand your rights against surprise medical bills<\/span><\/h1><\/div><\/div>
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The No Surprises Act protects people covered under group and individual health plans from receiving surprise medical bills when they receive most emergency services, non-emergency services from out-of-network providers at in-network facilities, and services from out-of-network air ambulance service providers. It also establishes an independent dispute resolution process for payment disputes between plans and providers, and provides new dispute resolution opportunities for uninsured and self-pay individuals when they receive a medical bill that is substantially greater than the good faith estimate they get from the provider.<\/div>
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Starting in 2022, there are new protections that prevent surprise medical bills. If you have private health insurance, these new protections ban the most common types of surprise bills. If you\u2019re uninsured or you decide not to use your health insurance for a service, under these protections, you can often get a good faith estimate of the cost of your care up front, before your visit. If you disagree with your bill, you may be able to dispute the charges. Here\u2019s what you need to know about your new rights.<\/p>

What are surprise medical bills?<\/strong><\/b><\/p>

Before the No Surprises Act, if you had health insurance and received care from an out-of-network provider or an out-of-network facility, even unknowingly, your health plan may not have covered the entire out-of-network cost. This could have left you with higher costs than if you got care from an in-network provider or facility. In addition to any out-of-network cost sharing you might have owed, the out-of-network provider or facility could bill you for the difference between the billed charge and the amount your health plan paid, unless banned by state law. This is called \u201cbalance billing.\u201d An unexpected balance bill from an out-of-network provider is also called a surprise medical bill.<\/p>

People with Medicare and Medicaid already enjoy these protections and are not at risk for surprise billing.<\/p>

What are the new protections if I have health insurance?<\/strong><\/b><\/p>

If you get health coverage through your employer, a Health Insurance Marketplace\u00ae,[1]<\/a>\u00a0or an individual health insurance plan you purchase directly from an insurance company, these new rules will:<\/p>