Almost two-thirds of adults in the USA have concerns about being able to afford surprise medical bills. If this happened to you, would you be able to afford it? How would you go about supporting your family and those around you if you had unexpected medical bills? There is a new law is on the table that is attempting to address that. Let’s talk about why you should be paying attention to this new law and what it can provide for you.
What Is an Unexpected Medical Bill?
It used to be that healthcare providers were able to impose “balance billing” on a patient. This would occur when the hospital charges a patient for anything their insurance would not pay for.
The patient would not always be in a position to approve of these procedures, meaning they would end up footing an unexpected medical bill. Law at the time did not prohibit this from occurring regularly.
This ended up happening so much that one in five emergency room visits ended up with a very high price. Many times, far more than the patient could afford.
Handling Unexpected Medical Bills
The Biden-Harris Administration has recently issued a new medical bill law called the “No Surprises Act”. This law discourages healthcare providers from enacting balance billing.
Instead, medical organizations can only charge a patient for the costs of procedures within their network. This means that healthcare organizations will have to handle any other fees themselves.
There are still areas this law does not cover. One example is ambulance services, as these exist as a public service instead of a specific healthcare service. You should check with your local provider about what they will cover.
Reliability of Medical Bills
As you move forward with your healthcare provider, the one thing you want to know is that they will continue to support you no matter what. Repealable laws such as this, though, make it much harder to know what you will receive from Medicaid and Medicare at any time without needing to pay.
It is much more sensible and recommended that you or your employer contact a private healthcare provider directly. This is an alternative to paying premiums to work with traditional healthcare providers. Instead, direct contact allows the company to get reliable and consistent coverage for specific needs.
Direct contact lowers costs for the employer. It also removes the need for “middlemen” processes when it comes to getting healthcare coverage.
Where Can You Learn More?
Hopefully, the No Surprises Act can help us all avoid unexpected medical bills in the future. But what if you need help for your employees now and what if you still have further questions about healthcare plans. Our specialists are on hand to answer any questions you might have to help you get the care you need.
If you want more information on how to get the healthcare can that best fits your needs, do not be afraid to pick up the phone and call us.