INTRODUCTION TO THE NO SURPRISES ACT (H.R. 133)
Beginning January 1, 2022, health care providers will be required to give new and established patients who are uninsured, or self-pay, or patients who are shopping for care, a good faith estimate of costs for services that they provide. The No Surprises Act was designed to protect consumers from receiving unexpected medical bills, which resulted in a provision called, The Good Faith Estimate. The Good Faith Estimate provision of the No Surprises Act is designed to give consumers predictability in how much they will be charged for the healthcare services they will be receiving, prior to their appointment. In other words, The good faith estimate is a notification of expected charges for a scheduled or requested service by having an understanding of the “expected charge” for a service at the cash pay rate or rate established by the provider for an uninsured (or self-pay) patient, reflecting any discounts/sliding scale fees for such individuals; or the amount the provider would expect to charge if the provider intended to bill a health care plan directly for such service.
References:
- https://omb.report/icr/202109-0938-015/doc/original/115257801.pdfhttps://www.simplepractice.com/blog/no-surprises-act-good-faith-estimates/
- https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/practice-management/nosurprisesactimplementation
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.