Dive Brief:
- NY's 'surprise bill' went into effect in March which requires health groups and facilities to disclose in writing or on their websites the names of health plans with whom they participate. NY Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman sent letters to 20 urgent care clinics in July asking for more information, noting some websites could be improperly listing which health plans they participated with, a potentially deceptive business practice.
- After responses were received, there were four companies who had provided incomplete or not specific enough information.
- As per the announced agreement, the company owners will specifically list all the health plans they contract with as in-network providers and no longer use the terms "works with" or "accepts." They must also clearly explain if they are "out of network," the consumer would have higher charges.
Dive Insight:
This agreement marks the first enforcement action under the new "surprise medical bill" that was established to reduce the number of consumers stuck with high bills when they unknowingly see providers not in their insurance plan networks. Visits to urgent care centers can lead to high out-of-network bills, which can also occur when a patient is seen by an out-of-network provider while at an in-network facility.
Although there is no federal law, approximately 25% of states have addressed this issue, according to a previous Healthcare Dive brief.