No Surprises Act being implemented through interagency effort.
This past week, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury issued an interim final rule to protect consumers from surprise healthcare billing and balance billing. Receiving care outside a health plan network can result in surprise billing, while balance billing is the charging of patients for the remainder that their health insurance did not cover. The rule applies to employer-sponsored and commercial health plans, as these protections already exist under Medicare and Medicaid.
“No patient should forgo care for fear of surprise billing,” said HHS Secretary Becerra. “Health insurance should offer patients peace of mind that they won’t be saddled with unexpected costs.”
“No one should ever be threatened with financial ruin simply for seeking needed medical care,” said Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. “Today’s Interim Final Rule is a major step in implementing the bipartisan No Surprises Act that will protect Americans from exorbitant health costs for unknowingly receiving care from out-of-network providers.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For HHS Secretary Becerra as he leads the federal health agencies.
- For Labor Secretary Walsh as he advances national employment interests.
- For Treasury Secretary Yellen as she oversees government financial concerns.
Sources: HHS.gov
