Tag: balance billing

Federal Committee Recommends Airline Deregulation Act Changes to Avoid Conflicts with No Surprises Act

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Air ambulances are one of the largest sources of surprise medical bills. While the No Surprises Act would protect patients from balance bills from out-of-network air ambulance providers, another federal law – the Airline Deregulation Act – could raise questions about states’ authority to enforce these consumer protections. CHIR’s Madeline O’Brien and Jack Hoadley describe a federal advisory committee’s recommendations to resolve potential conflicts.

Are Surprise Billing Payments Likely to Lead to Inflation in Health Spending?

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Under the No Surprises Act, enacted in December of 2020, federal regulators face a balancing act as they develop a mechanism for determining payments to out-of-network providers for covered services. The law also provides for deference to state mechanisms, where they exist. In their latest post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR’s Jack Hoadley and Kevin Lucia assess the implications for provider payment as well as long term impacts on health care spending.

The No Surprises Act and Preemption of State Balance Billing Protections

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The No Surprises Act of 2020 sets up a new national framework to protect patients from surprise out-of-network medical billing. There have been numerous questions about whether and how the new federal law will preempt existing state protections. CHIR experts have prepared a handy fact sheet to walk through the nuances.

New Georgetown CHIR Report: Taking the Disputes out of Dispute Resolution

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The U.S. Congress enacted the No Surprises Act in 2020 to protect patients from surprise out-of-network medical bills. Now the federal agencies need to set up a process to resolve disputes between these providers and insurance companies. CHIR experts examine the experience in four states with similar dispute resolution programs and share lessons that can be applied at the national level.

Navigator Guide FAQs of The Week: How to Use Your Coverage

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Open Enrollment has ended in most states, and many consumers have signed up for a health insurance plan offered on the marketplace. In this installation, the CHIR team has compiled a number of frequently asked questions (FAQs) from our Navigator Resource Guide to help inform enrolled consumers on how best to use their coverage.

The No Surprises Act: Implications for States

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In the waning days of 2020, Congress enacted the No Surprises Act, which provides, for the first time, protections for consumers against surprise bills from out-of-network medical providers. The legislation has numerous implications for states that have their own balance billing protections, as well as for those that do not. In their latest Expert Perspective article for the State Health & Value Strategies program, JoAnn Volk and Sabrina Corlette review some of the more critical issues state regulators will need to consider as this new federal law is implemented.

Unpacking The No Surprises Act: An Opportunity To Protect Millions

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Congress included the No Surprises Act in the omnibus spending bill that was passed and signed into law by President Trump on December 27, 2020. The bill protects patients from unexpected bills for out-of-network emergency and other services consumers are unable to agree to in advance. Georgetown experts Jack Hoadley, Katie Keith, and Kevin Lucia unpack the legislation in a blog post for Health Affairs.

Surprise Billing Protections: Help Finally Arrives for Millions of Americans

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Congress enacted the “No Surprises Act” as part of the $900 billion COVID-19 relief and government spending bill. The Act will protect millions of patients from surprise out-of-network medical bills. In their latest To the Point post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR experts Jack Hoadley, Kevin Lucia, and Beth Fuchs unpack the legislation and what it means for patients.

2020 – It’s a Wrap. CHIR Takes Stock of a Tumultuous, but Busy Year

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We at Georgetown CHIR look back at this tumultuous, tragic, and eventful year and are thankful we have the opportunity to do the work we do. When the world went on lock down in early March, our team quickly pivoted to researching and writing about the government response to COVID-19 and its impact on health care coverage. We also wrote about surprise balance billing, junk insurance, and trends in provider-payer dynamics We share some of the highlights from our work here.

The Provider Relief Fund: How Well Does it Protect Patients from Surprise Medical Bills for COVID-19 Related Services?

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The $175 billion Provider Relief Fund prohibits participating providers from balance billing COVID-19 patients, regardless of their source of coverage. While this could help many patients avoid surprise medical bills, there remain several questions about the scope of protection this will provide. In an update to his April 30, 2020 post, Georgetown expert Jack Hoadley takes a look at the fine print of the program as well as new guidance from HHS.

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the individual blog post authors and do not represent the views of Georgetown University, the Center on Health Insurance Reforms, any organization that the author is affiliated with, or the opinions of any other author who publishes on this blog.