WASHINGTON – A recent study conducted by America’s Health Insurance Plans and Blue Cross Blue Shield Association found that the now-law No Surprises Act, legislation authored by U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), has now protected 9 million Americans from receiving surprise medical bills since it was implemented at the beginning of this year.
“It is great to see legislation clearly benefit the lives of so many Americans,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Our bill has protected families from nine million surprise medical bills so far this year and will continue to do so. This law is working for patients’ pocketbooks as well as their health.”
Prior to Cassidy’s law, a Louisiana man’s bloodwork tests were conducted by an out-of-network lab and resulted in a surprise medical bill of $1,200. Had the test been covered under the No Surprises Act, the patient would have paid the in-network rate of $200.
The No Surprises Act, which went into effect on January 1, 2022, protects patients from having to pay out-of-network costs for emergency services, post-emergency stabilization services, and non-emergency services provided by an out-of-network provider at an in-network facility. Patients can only be required to pay in-network costs for these services. These patient protections follow a two-year effort from Cassidy and U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), starting with crafting the STOP Surprise Medical Bills Act to end this practice.
If patients receive a higher bill for these covered services, they should contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-985-3059 or the Louisiana Department of Insurance at 1-800-259-5300. For more information, visit https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers.
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