No Surprises Act

Effective January 1, 2022, the No Surprises Act, which Congress passed as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, is designed to protect clients from surprise bills for emergency services at out-of-network facilities or for out-of- network providers at in-network facilities, holding them liable only for in-network cost-sharing amounts. The No Surprises Act also enables uninsured clients to receive a good faith estimate of the cost of care.

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost

Under the law, healthcare providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services before those items or services are provided. While it is not possible for a provider to know, in advance, how many sessions may be necessary or appropriate for a given person, the notice will provide an estimate of the cost of services provided. Your total cost of services will depend upon the number of sessions you attend, your individual circumstances, and the type and amount of services that are provided to you.

You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services upon request or when scheduling such items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees. You can ask for a Good faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service, and you can expect to receive it in a timely fashion. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. The initiation of the dispute will not affect the quality of services provided to you.

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 1-800-985-3059.