“No Surprises” Act

You may have heard about the “No Surprises Act” which Congress recently enacted and which went into effect January 1, 2022. The act is described as “new federal protections against surprise medical bills that take effect in 2022. Surprise medical bills arise when insured consumers inadvertently receive care from out-of-network hospitals, doctors, or other providers they did not choose” (please see https://www.kff.org/health-reform/issue-brief/no-surprises-act-implementation-what-to-expect-in-2022/).

It is highly unlikely this could affect our work together. There will be no situation in which you would “inadvertently” receive care from me or with no choice. Also, the final rules about how to implement this in a practice such as mine have not even been written yet by the federal government. You may read more about this at https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises.

If we currently work together, you are already aware of my charges and your costs. If you are considering working with me, available information suggests I might need to provide you with a diagnosis as well as an estimated length of treatment before we even meet, which of course would be both unethical and impossible without a meaningful evaluation of your circumstances. At this time, multiple professional organizations are scrambling to understand the details of this law, to whom it applies, and how to apply it. Guidance so far is uncertain and in many cases conflicting.

I will be transparent with you about the costs of the services we agree on together. You will have “no surprises” here. This transparency is required by ethical standards, and more importantly, this transparency is in place simply because it is necessary for us to work well together.

In the meantime, you may certainly ask me about any costs about which you may be unsure, and you will be provided clear information. In compliance with this new law, you do have the right to a written copy of an estimate of treatment costs, called a Good Faith Estimate, which I will provide at any time upon your request. Please feel free to contact me if you have any related questions. You can reach me at 720-295-4835, or alisha@thewithprojectcounseling.com.