No Surprise Act

What is “balance billing” (sometimes called “surprise billing”)? When you see a doctor or other health care provider, you may owe certain out-of-pocket costs, such as a copayment, coinsurance, and/or a deductible. You may have other costs or have to pay the entire bill if you see a provider or visit a health care facility that isn’t in your health plan’s network. “Out-of-network” describes providers and facilities that haven’t signed a contract with your health plan. Out-of-network providers may be permitted to bill you for the difference between what your plan agreed to pay and the full amount charged for a service. This is called “balance billing.” This amount is likely more than in-network costs for the same service and might not count toward your annual out-of-pocket limit. “Surprise billing” is an unexpected balance bill. This can happen when you can’t control who is involved in your care—like when you have an emergency or when you schedule a visit at an in-network facility but are unexpectedly treated by an out-of-network provider. You are protected from balance billing for: Emergency services If you have an emergency medical condition and get emergency services from an out-ofnetwork provider or facility, the most the provider or facility may bill you is your plan’s innetwork cost-sharing amount (such as copayments and coinsurance). You can’t be balance billed for these emergency services. This includes services you may get after you’re in stable condition, unless you give written consent and give up your protections not to be balanced billed for these post-stabilization services. Certain services at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center When you get services from an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, certain providers there may be out-of-network. In these cases, the most those providers may bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount. This applies to emergency medicine, anesthesia, pathology, radiology, laboratory, neonatology, assistant surgeon, hospitalist, or intensivist services. These providers can’t balance bill you and may not ask you to give up your protections not to be balance billed. If you get other services at these in-network facilities, outof-network providers can’t balance bill you, unless you give written consent and give up your protections. You’re never required to give up your protections from balance billing. You also aren’t required to get care out-of-network. You can choose a provider or facility in your plan’s network. Maryland-specific balance billing protections If you are in a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) governed by Maryland law, you may not be balance billed for services covered by your plan, including ground ambulance services. When you get emergency care or get treated by an out-of-network provider at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, you are protected from surprise billing or balance billing.   If you are in a PPO or EPO governed by Maryland law, hospital-based or on-call physicians paid directly by your PPO or EPO (assignment of benefits) may not balance bill you for services covered under your plan and can’t ask you to waive your balance billing protections. If you use ground ambulance services operated by a local government provider who accepts an assignment of benefits from a plan governed by Maryland law, the provider may not balance bill you. When balance billing isn’t allowed, you also have the following protections: • You are only responsible for paying your share of the cost (like the copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles that you would pay if the provider or facility was in-network services toward your deductible and out-of-pocket limit. If you believe you’ve been wrongly billed, you may contact the Health Education and Advocacy Unit (HEAU) of Maryland’s Consumer Protection Division: Health Education and Advocacy Unit Office of the Attorney General 200 St Paul Place, 16th Floor Baltimore, Maryland 21202 Phone: (410) 528-1840 or toll-free 1 (877) 261-8807 En español: 410-230-1712 Fax: (410) 576-6571 heau@oag.state.md.us Website: http://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/Pages/CPD/HEAU If you believe your health plan processed your claim incorrectly, you may contact the Maryland Insurance Administration: Maryland Insurance Administration Life and Health Complaints Unit 200 St Paul Place, Suite 2700 Baltimore, Maryland 21202 Phone (410) 468-2000 or toll free 1-(800) 492-6116 Fax: (410)468-2260 Website: http://www.insurance.maryland.gov Visit https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises for more information about your rights under federal law. Visit marylandattorneygeneral.gov or insurance.maryland.gov for more information about your rights under Maryland law.