The No Surprises Act: A Cost Saving Opportunity for Employer Plan Sponsors
Surprise! What Hospices Need to Know About the No Surprises Act
We are now in September! And while many folks are thinking about how summer has come and gone so quickly, those following the No Surprises Act implementation process may also be wondering how a whole year has passed since the...more
Out-of-network health providers recently won a huge legal victory when the Fifth Circuit Court ruled that federal guidelines regarding Independent Dispute Resolution (“IDR”) proceedings were unlawfully slanted in favor of...more
This issue of McDermott’s Healthcare Regulatory Check-Up highlights regulatory activity for May 2024. We discuss several notable cases and enforcement resolutions, including the US Court of Appeals for the District of...more
From the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) to the overturning of Roe v. Wade to the growth of AI in health care, multiple forces are converging to remap the health care landscape. In a new webinar, Manatt...more
Benefits costs continue to increase globally, and in the midst of high inflation and potentially a recession, executives are exploring cost effective methods to manage their self-insured health plans without compromising the...more
Happy New Year! As we enter 2024, we want to lay out some of the main regulatory issues (both new and old) that McDermott+Consulting will be tracking over the next year. While these may evolve, we think they are still...more
As 2023 comes to a close, I can’t help but reflect on all the regulations and policies we reviewed this year (and those that we’ll continue to handle next week before the year actually ends). There were some tasty eggs with...more
If you have been following the implementation of the No Surprises Act independent dispute resolution (IDR) process, you have likely seen a bunch of new rules, guidance documents and deadline extensions come out recently and...more
Summary - The rules in the Consolidated Appropriations Act that aim to eliminate much of the surprise from billings by out-of-network providers in particular situations are the subject of continued controversy....more
The bumpy road toward implementing the No Surprises Act took another turn last Friday, October 6, 2023. The US Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor and the Treasury (collectively, the Departments) provided...more
On September 26, 2023, the Departments of Health & Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury (collectively, the Departments) jointly proposed rules (September Rule) updating the administrative fee and Certified...more
By looking at the events that have transpired since the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which includes the No Surprises Act (the Act), was signed into law, it is clear that the Departments of Health and Human Services,...more
From the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) to the overturning of Roe v. Wade to the skyrocketing growth of virtual care, multiple forces are converging to remap the health care landscape. In a new webinar,...more
On August 24, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas once again struck down parts of the regulations governing the arbitration process created by the No Surprises Act (NSA) to settle payment disputes...more
On August 24, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued an opinion and order in Texas Medical Association, et al. v. United States Department of Health and Human Services(“HHS”)(“TMA III”). TMA...more
Providers finally obtained court ordered relief to the $350 administrative fee each party was required to pay as part of the Federal Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) Process under the No Surprises Act. Until the...more
It’s likely no surprise to anyone who has been following the implementation of the No Surprises Act over the last couple of years that we again find ourselves on an uncertain path. While Regs & Eggs has focused on some of the...more
On August 3, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (“HHS”), the Department of Labor, and the Department of Treasury (collectively, the “Departments”) temporarily suspended the federal Independent Dispute...more
On July 6, 2023, the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) released the first of five required annual reports on the impact of the No Surprises Act (NSA) on health care markets (the Report)....more
As employers work toward annual enrollment and new service contracts for their health plans, it is key to remember one of the changes to enhance disclosure to individuals contained in the “No Surprises Act” and Transparency...more
Washington State's Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) is delaying its transition to the federal No Surprises Act (NSA) Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) process for at least six months. As a result of this...more
We are not surprised by the continued stop-and-go regarding guidance surrounding the No Surprises Act. Most recently, a Texas court vacated portions of the No Surprises Act’s updated final rule (the final rules were discussed...more
On February 6, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas struck down key regulations implementing the federal arbitration process created under the No Surprises Act (NSA) to settle out-of-network payment...more
To the relief of many providers and facilities and with just three weeks to go until the implementation date, the U.S. Department of Health & Humans Services (HHS) announced that it is extending its policy of not enforcing...more
Pressure continues to mount on the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reconsider and revise its August 2022 final rule modifying the No Surprises Act independent dispute resolution (IDR) process. The rule is...more