Under Section 2799B-6 of the Public Health Service Act, the “No Surprises Act,” health care providers are required to give clients who do not have insurance or who choose not to use their insurance an estimate of the bill for health care items and services.
You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) showing costs of items and services you can reasonably expect for your health care needs. The Good Faith Estimate does not include any unknown or unexpected costs that may arise during treatment.
If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you may dispute the bill.
- You may contact the health care provider listed to let them know the billed charges are higher than the GFE. You may ask them to update the bill to match the GFE, negotiate the bill, or ask if financial assistance is available.
- You may start a dispute resolution process with the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). If you choose to use the dispute resolution process, you must start the dispute process within 120 calendar days of the date on the original bill.
Make sure your health care provider gives you a GFE within the following timeframes:
- If the service is scheduled at least three business days before the appointment date, no later than one business day after the date of scheduling.
- If the service is scheduled at least ten business days before the appointment date, make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing within three business days after scheduling.
- You can also ask any health care provider for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service. If you do, make sure the health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing within 3 business days after you ask.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises, email FederalPPDRQuestions@cms.hhs.gov or call 1-800-985-3059.
Note: A Good Faith Estimate is for your awareness only. It is not a contract and does not
require immediate financial commitment or payment.