The No Surprises Act, effective as of January 1, 2022, aims to provide patients with accurate information regarding their expected health care spending. In many cases, the new law prevents health care providers from charging patients for costs not reimbursed by insurance. We previously covered the impact of these “balance billing” prohibitions on hospital contracting. However, for the 28 million people in the United States without health insurance coverage or for those seeking care that requires initial self-payment, such as most psychological counseling, these balance billing prohibitions lack relevance because the entire balance is payable by the patient or their representative. The No Surprises Act also includes a potential solution for this group–a mandate that “Good Faith Estimates” (GFEs) be provided to all uninsured or self-pay patients.
Unlike the balance billing restrictions addressed in our prior blog, GFE requirements apply to all health care providers in all settings. Providers must now generate cost estimates when treating uninsured (including those with insurance who do not want a claim filed) and self-pay patients. Many providers will generate estimates using the same billing systems that existed prior to the No Surprises Act, but some changes may be necessary to meet new regulatory requirements. This post will highlight key provisions relating to GFE, including how to ensure that provider billing practices comply with the new mandate.
Continue Reading No Surprises Act Good Faith Estimates: What they are and when you need them