No Surprises Act

AMA releases ‘No Surprises Act’ Summary

The American Medical Association (AMA) has distributed an “initial” summary of the major provisions that are in the ‘No Surprises Act,’ the surprise billing legislation that was included in the ‘Consolidated Appropriations Act’ COVID-19 relief bill that was signed into law on December 27.

AMA explains that, “The No Surprises Act allows for price transparency, provider directories, and patient financial protections that impact health plans, physicians, facilities, and other non-M.D./D.O. licensed health care profesionals. The law went into effect January 1, 2022. The intent of the law is not to preempt state surprise billing laws. However, there is some ambiguity in the statutory language that will require further clarification before and during the rulemaking process, including when the surprise billing protections apply to patients in self-funded ERISA plans.”

AMA says that it will work with state medical associations and other stakeholders to address these ambiguities and update the guide as new information becomes available.

AMA Guide-to-Surprise-Billing-Provisions-in-the-Consolidation-Appropriations-Act-2021