No Surprises Act: Who Qualifies and What You Get

The No Surprises Act is a federal protection designed to shield patients from receiving unexpected, high-cost medical bills after receiving certain types of healthcare services.

👤Who it's for

This protection is available to all patients who have private health insurance. If you carry a private insurance plan, you are covered by these regulations.

🎁What you get

You receive protection against surprise out-of-network medical bills. This means that if you receive care from a provider who does not have a contract with your insurance company, you are protected from being charged much higher rates than expected. This protection is intended to prevent the financial shock of receiving a bill for services you thought would be covered at an in-network rate.

💰What it costs you

There is no cost to you to access this protection. It is an automatic part of the healthcare protections provided to those with private insurance; you do not need to pay a fee or sign up for a separate plan to be covered by these rules.

⚠️The catch to know

While this law provides broad protection for many medical situations, it does not apply to ground ambulance services. You should be aware that billing for ground ambulance transport may still be subject to different rules.

📝How to apply

1. Carefully review all medical bills you receive to ensure they do not contain unexpected charges from out-of-network providers.
2. If you identify a bill that seems incorrectly high due to an out-of-network provider, contact your insurance provider to discuss the charges.
3. If you cannot resolve the billing dispute directly with your insurer, you can contact the Department of Health and Human Services to seek further assistance.