Emergency Room Visits Archives -

Why the No Surprises Act Offers No Relief for Ground Ambulance Costs

Surprise Bills / Donna / December 4, 2021 / Ambulance Bills, Emergency Room Visits

The No Surprises Act (NSA) is designed to protect patients from surprise bills. Yet the NSA excludes ground ambulance charges even though at least one study found about half of these rides among privately insured consumers may result in a surprise bill. The Ambulance Industry’s Complexity Why would the NSA exclude ground ambulance charges? In a […]

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First Rule Issued for the No Surprises Act

Health Care Policy, Surprise Bills / Donna / July 17, 2021 / Emergency Room Visits, No Surprises Act, Out-of-Network

In my February post I summarized the No Surprises Act that is going into effect January 2022. The Act’s main objective is to protect patients from huge surprise bills for certain out-of-network charges. Patients will only have to pay in-network rates for covered out-of-network charges. I said I would update you as significant milestones

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UnitedHealthcare Delays Reduction in Emergency Room Coverage

Hospital Charges, Insurance Companies / Donna / June 19, 2021 / Emergency Room Visits

Just three days after announcing a new policy aimed at reducing Emergency Room (ER) coverage, United Healthcare (UHC) delayed the policy’s July 1st start date. The reversal was in response to a fierce backlash from the American Hospital Association, the American College of Emergency Physicians and others. But before we get to the backlash, let’s

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5 Insurance Words You Need to Know to Avoid Surprise Bills

1 Comment / Choices, Surprise Bills / Donna / January 29, 2021 / Deductibles, Emergency Room Visits, Excluded Benefits, Out-of-Pocket Maximum, Prescription Drug Formulary

Do you want to avoid surprise bills? While not all surprise bills are avoidable, you can avoid many of them by understanding five words in your insurance plan. Insurance companies use these words with little to no explanation. They certainly don’t tell you the details that can cost you money. Here’s what you need to

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