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NO SURPRISES ACT
Your Rights and Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills
When you get emergency care or are treated by an out-of-network provider you are protected from surprise billing or balance billing.
What is “balance billing,” sometimes called “surprise billing”?
When you see a healthcare 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 provider or visit a healthcare facility that isn’t in your health plan’s network.
“Out-of-network” describes providers and facilities that haven’t signed a contract with your health plan. Out-of-network providers 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 provider.
You are protected from balance billing for:
Emergency services
If you have an emergency situation and receive emergency services from an out-of- network provider or facility, the most the provider 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.
You have the right to receive a “good faith estimate of charges.”
You may ask for an estimate of the amount that you will be charged for a nonemergency medical service provided by a healthcare facility or practitioner. In addition, if you are uninsured or intending to pay for the service out of pocket, federal law requires that a provider or facility provide you with an estimate for all scheduled, nonemergency healthcare services at least one business day before the services are to be performed.
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 provider or facility in your plan’s network.
When balance billing isn’t allowed, you also have the following protections:
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 providers and facilities directly.
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 providers.
- Base what you owe the provider or facility (cost sharing) on what it would pay an in-network provider 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.
Kentucky: If you think you’ve been wrongly billed, contact the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at 800.985.3059.
Visit CMS.gov/NoSurprises for more information about your rights under federal law.