Answer 4: B
The federal No Surprises Act protects people with most job-based and individual health plans. For most emergency care, and for certain care from out-of-network providers at in-network hospitals and surgery centers, such as anesthesiologists, radiologists and assistant surgeons, you generally owe only what you would have paid in network. The provider cannot bill you for the rest.
If you get a bill like this, do not pay the out-of-network amount. Call the provider and your insurer, say you believe the bill is protected under the No Surprises Act, and ask them to reprocess it. You can also contact the federal No Surprises Help Desk at 1-800-985-3059. Medicare and Medicaid have their own separate protections against this kind of billing.
Read more: How to use the No Surprises Act to dispute an out-of-network bill.
Question 5 of 8: Paying without insurance
You are uninsured and schedule an MRI. The imaging center says it will cost “around $900.” Your final bill is $1,450. What right might you have?
- A. None; estimates are never binding
- B. You can dispute a bill that is at least $400 more than a written Good Faith Estimate
- C. You can refuse to pay any bill above $1,000
- D. The center must give you the MRI for free