Patient Rights and Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills

If you have private health insurance, there are protections in place that provide visibility to your planned medical charges and fees when requested. If you’re uninsured or you decide not to use your health insurance healthcare services, under these protections, you can often get a good faith estimate of the cost of your care up front, before your visit.

Patients who are uninsured or who choose not to utilize insurance coverage for medical services have the right to request a good faith estimate for the total expected costs prior to receiving care.  For cash-pay patients, a breakdown of costs for any tests or procedures beyond the overall medical visit charge are shared at the time of the visit.  You can request a paper copy of this estimate from our office at any time.  We will also keep a copy on file in your patient chart for future reference if need be. 

 

If the bill you receive is at least $400 more than your good faith estimate, you can dispute the charges.  You have 120 days from the date on your bill to do so. 

 

For questions or more information about your rights under the ‘No Surprises Act’, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.