Surprise Billing and the Balance Billing Protection Act
Patients have new protections from surprise medical bills for emergency services and when they have a scheduled procedure at an in-network hospital or surgery facility and are seen by an out-of-network provider.
Congress enacted the No Surprises Act in December 2020, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. Read about the new federal No Surprises Act (www.cms.gov)
Your Rights and Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills and Balance Billing in Washington State
Starting Jan. 1, 2020, Washington state law protects you from surprise or balance billing if you receive emergency care at any medical facility or when you’re treated at an in-network hospital or outpatient surgical facility by an out-of-network provider. No Surprises Act Disclosure (Spanish)
For consumers who don’t have insurance, these rules make sure they’ll know how much their health care will cost before they get it, and might help them if they get a bill that’s larger than expected. To receive a Good Faith Estimate, please contact KVH Patient Financial Services at 509.933.8657
The law applies to most, but not all health plans
The Balance Billing Protection Act applies to all state-regulated health plans and state and school employee benefit plans. Self-funded group health plans are not regulated by the state and must notify us if they want to opt-in to the law and offer the protections to their enrollees.
See a current list of self-funded group health plans that have selected to follow the new law.