October 14, 2021 (Updated Jan. 18, 2022)
This notice has been updated to include information on how to request a claim review and initiate a negotiation.
The No Surprises Act (NSA) is a requirement of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) for plan years on or after Jan. 1, 2022. Under NSA, most out-of-network providers will no longer be allowed to balance bill patients for:
- Emergency services
- Out-of-network care during a visit to an in-network facility
- Out-of-network air ambulance services if the patient’s benefit plan covers in-network air ambulance services
For items and services subject to NSA requirements, member cost-share will be calculated based on the lesser of a new qualified payment amount or the provider’s billed charge. The qualified payment amount is a new median contract rate calculation set forth by the NSA and related interim rules.
Generally, if a non-participating provider isn’t satisfied with a payment on items or services subject to NSA, they can first initiate a negotiation with the plan and, if the negotiation fails, pursue binding independent dispute resolution (IDR). Through this process, the parties submit their respective offers and other required information, and the IDR entity selects one of the parties’ offers as the outcome, which determines whether any additional amount will be paid to the provider.
The NSA and related interim rules state that some of its provisions such as member cost-share requirements, claim payment deadlines and availability of the federal IDR process, do not apply if a state law provides a method for determining the total amount payable to the provider for that item or service.
To Request a Claim Review and Initiate a Negotiation
Claims for the following services may be eligible for payment review under NSA if you don’t have a contract with us:
- Emergency services or stabilization for an emergency
- Services provided by non-participating providers at a contracted facility
- Air ambulance services
To initiate the process:
- Log on to Availity®
to check a claim for NSA-eligible services. Eligible services will also be noted on your provider claim summary. - If you want to dispute the payment amount, you may open negotiations through Availity within 30 business days of the date the claim is finalized.
- IDR may be pursued within four business days after the negotiation period ends.
CAA expands the current definition of emergency services. Emergency services continue to be defined by the prudent layperson standard. If a plan covers services in an emergency department or independent freestanding emergency room, the following services will be included as emergency services under NSA:
- Screening and ancillary services necessary to evaluate the emergency condition (participating and non-participating)
- Services to stabilize the patient (participating and non-participating)
- Post-stabilization outpatient observation or an inpatient or outpatient stay, if the plan would cover the services (non-participating only)
To Learn More
- U.S. Department of Labor No Surprises Act
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Overview of Rules and Fact Sheets
More on the CAA and Transparency in Coverage Final Rule.
Availity is a trademark of Availity, LLC, a separate company that operates a health information network to provide electronic information exchange services to medical professionals. Availity provides administrative services to BCBSIL. BCBSIL makes no endorsement, representations or warranties regarding any products or services provided by third party vendors such as Availity.