NOTICE: Patient Protections against Surprise Billing

When you get emergency care or are treated by an out-of-network provider at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, you are protected from surprise billing or balance billing

What is “balance billing” (sometimes called “surprise billing”)?

When you see a doctor or other health care provider, you may owe certain out-of-pocket costs, such as a copayment, coinsurance, and/or a deductible. You may have other costs, have to pay the entire bill if you see a provider, or visit a health care facility that is not in your health plan’s network.

“Out-of-network” describes providers and facilities that have not signed a contract with your health plan. Out-of-network providers may be permitted to bill you for the difference between what your plan agreed to pay and the full amount charged for a service. This is called “balance billing”. This amount is likely more than in-network costs for the same service and might not count toward your annual out-of-pocket limit. 

“Surprise billing” is an unexpected balance bill. This can happen when you cannot control who is involved in your care like when you have an emergency or when you schedule a visit at an in-network facility but are unexpectedly treated by an out-of-network provider. 

You are protected from balance billing for:

Emergency Services: If you have an emergency medical condition and get emergency services from and out-of-network provider or facility, the most the provider or facility may bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount (such as copayments and coinsurance). You cannot be balance billed for these emergency services. This includes services you may get after you are in stable condition, unless you give written consent and give up your protections not to be balanced billed for these post-stabilization services.

Certain services at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center: When you get services from an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, certain providers there may be out-of-network. In these cases, the most those providers may bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount. This applies to emergency medicine, anesthesia, pathology, radiology, laboratory, neonatology, assistant surgeon, hospitalist, or intensivist services. These providers cannot balance bill you and may not ask you to give up your protections not to be balance billed. 

If you get other services at these in-network facilities, out-of-network providers cannot balance bill you, unless you give written consent and give up your protections. 

Texas law also prohibits balance billing for any health care, medical service or supply provided at an in-network facility by an out-of-network physician or other provider and for services by diagnostic imaging providers and laboratory service providers provided in connection with a health care service performed by a network physician or provider.  

You are never required to give up your protections from balance billing. 

You also are not required to get care out-of-network.

You can choose a provider or facility in you plan’s network.

When balance billing is not allowed, you also have the following protections: 

You are only responsible for paying your share of the cost (like the copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles that you would pay if the provider or facility were in-network). Your health plan will pay out-of-network providers and facilities directly. 

Your health plan generally must:

• Cover emergency services without requiring you to get approval for service in advance (prior authorization). 
• Cover emergency services by out-of-network providers.
• Base what you owe the provider or facility (cost sharing) on what it would pay an in-network provider or facility and show that amount in your explanation of benefits. 
• Count any amount you pay for emergency services or out-of-network services toward your deductible and out-of-pocket limit. 

If you believe you were been billed wrong, you may contact the Hidalgo County Human Resources Department: Health Benefits Division at 956-318-2660 or the Texas Department of Insurance at 800-252-3439. 

Visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises for more information about you rights under federal law.

Visit www.tdi.texas.gov/medical-billing/surprise-balance-billing.html for more information about your rights under Texas law.