(Andrew Burton / New York Times) The reports are dribbling in. Congress included legislation in the coronavirus relief bill that may be good even after the pandemic is past. The legislation is in the details, which still have to be released to the public.
In the meantime, the reports offer some valuable information. First, rather than charging patients, "health providers will now have to work with insurers to settle on a fair price." Sarah Kliff and Margot Sanger-Katz, Surprise Medical Bills Cost Americans Millions. Congress is Finally Set to Ban Most of Them. NEW YORK TIMES, Tuesday, December 22, 2020, p. B4 (headline enhanced online as shown here).
Second, the new changes will take effect in 2022.
Third, the out-of-network "health providers" that cannot 'surprise bill' patients from then on include "doctors, hospitals and air ambulances, though not ground ambulances." Id.
In other words, ground ambulances will still be able to send their surprise medical bills to patients to pay even though the patients were not conscious or had no idea that insurance would not pay for the ambulance.
This is a good law. But there is more work to do. That too is all to the good and should not take away from what good this law will do.
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