Health Care Today | Health Law Blog

Since the No Surprises Act was signed into law in 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services has published several rules with respect to the Act, leaving many unanswered questions. With the Act taking effect this month, forums are now being held to educate providers on the new law, which curtails surprise medical bills from out-of-network providers.

The No Surprises Act, which then-President Trump signed into law on December 27, 2020, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, addresses surprise medical bills from out-of-network providers when patients believe they are seeking care from in-network providers. Most sections of the act go into effect on January 1, 2022, and the Departments of Health and Human Services, Treasury, and Labor are working on regulations to implement many provisions of the act.

There has been a lot of movement throughout the country on the state level to prevent patients from receiving surprise medical bills when they receive unanticipated care from out-of-network providers while seeking care from in-network providers. For example, in 2018, Missouri passed such legislation, which banned surprise medical bills for patients who are treated by an out-of-network physician at an in-network emergency room.