Starting January 1, 2022, the No Surprise Act went into effect. Its purpose is to protect consumers from getting surprised bills. Under Section 2799B-6 of the Public Health Service Act, clients that are not enrolled in a plan or coverage or a Federal health care program, or not seeking to file a claim with their plan or coverage (written and stated orally) are to receive a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) of expected charges. The GFE will explain how much your medical care will cost.

     Under this new law, health care providers need to give patients that are uninsured or that do not plan on using their insurance an estimated bill for medical items and expenses. 

     As a client, you have the right to receive a GFE for the total expected cost of any non-emergency item or service. You can also request a GFE before scheduling for an item or service from the provider. If you receive a bill that is over $400 than your estimate, you can dispute the bill.

 

    You can view more about this bill by visiting www.cms.gov/nosurprises.