It’s no surprise: New health care reform is rebuilding trust and transparency with patients

While the No Surprises Act will be helpful in removing financial barriers from seeking care, it comes with its own set of challenges in creating a fully transparent experience for patients.

At the end of 2020, one of the biggest pieces of health care legislation, the No Surprises Act, was passed. The No Surprises Act aims to protect patients from surprise medical bills, especially in situations where patients have little or no control over who provides their care. This includes non-emergency services provided by out-of-network providers at in-network facilities, emergency services provided by out-of-network providers and facilities, and air ambulance services.

For patients, the No Surprises Act is a timely solution for an issue that has historically been a source of frustration. In fact, a recent Harris Poll found that two-thirds of U.S. adults with private health insurance have received an unexpected medical bill, and of those, one in three were not able to pay the bill with money immediately available to them. Beyond that, nearly half of American adults reported that worrying about the cost of medical bills prevented them from seeking medical care.