No Surprises Act Information & Resources
The 2020 federal No Surprises Act intended to end the practice of surprise billing went into effect January 1, 2022. Here are resources to assist physicians in implementing the law in their practices.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Resource Page
Opposition to Regulations
The AMA and other medical organizations have expressed oppositions to the regulations designed to implement the law. They believe the regulations favor insurance companies in the process of settling disputes over out-of-network charges.
- In December, the AMA and the American Hospital Association filed a lawsuit arguing that the regulations are a clear deviation from the statute and all but ensure that physicians and other providers will routinely be undercompensated by commercial insurers. More importantly, the rule will result in narrower networks and patients having fewer choices for access to in-network care. The lawsuit does not attempt to delay or undercut any of the patient protections from surprise medical bills in the NSA.
- The AMA and 100 other medical associations including the Missouri State Medical Association on Nov. 17 sent a letter to the departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury challenging the settlement process proposed in the Interim Final Rule.
- The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and American College of Radiology (ACR) filed a motion on February 9 arguing that the interim final rule turned the balanced and fair reforms of Congress’s No Surprises Act upside down and transformed the act intended to protect patients and their physicians into a giveaway for private insurers.
