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Providers: Insurers Not Adhering to No Surprises Act Payments

Analysis  |  By Jay Asser  
   August 11, 2023

Over 48,000 clinicians polled say payers are manipulating the surprise billing law.

Health insurers are acting in bad faith in a multitude of ways when it comes to the No Surprises Act, a survey by Americans for Fair Health Care (AFHC) reveals.

The coalition of clinical and advocacy organizations polled 48,005 physicians in 45 states to investigate concerns over insurer abuse in the surprise billing law. The survey results suggest that providers are often on the wrong end of power dynamics, which includes payers withholding payments, limiting patients access to in-network care, and ignoring mechanisms of the independent dispute resolution (IDR) process.

The No Surprises Act is meant to protect patients from unexpected bills when they receive services from out-of-network providers at in-network facilities. When there is a dispute between providers and payers over price, the two sides can enter an IDR arbitration.

However, according to the surveyed clinicians, 52% of payments determined by independent dispute resolution entities were not made at all, while 49% were not made in the required 30-day timeframe, and 33% were made in an incorrect amount.

Since going into effect on January 1, 2022, the No Surprises Act has run into a litany of problems. Providers have challenged the law several times in court, with the latest resulting in a federal court suspending the IDR process once again by striking down an increase in administrative fees for arbitration and restrictions on batching related claims.

The IDR process has also been inundated with a massive influx of disputes. A recent status update by CMS revealed a total of 334,828 billing disputes had been filed, nearly 14 times more than initially expected.

Litigation challenges and surveys such as the one conducted by AFHC have illustrated how providers feel about the balance of power within the law. Without the necessary cooperation from insurers, the No Surprises Act will continue to impose financial challenges that will fall on the shoulders of providers.

Jay Asser is the CEO editor for HealthLeaders. 


KEY TAKEAWAYS

A survey by Americans for Fair Health Care uncovers how insurers are taking advantage of providers within the No Surprises Act, according to 48,005 physicians.

Respondents said that 52% of payments determined by independent dispute resolution entities were not made at all by insurers, whereas 49% were not made in the 30-day timeframe, and 33% were made in an incorrect amount.

It's been anything but smooth sailing for the No Surprises Act since going into effect at the beginning of 2022, with lawsuits and an overwhelming number of disputes posing challenges.


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