Congress has been focussing heavily on eliminating surprise billing practices and involves not just the air ambulance industry but the healthcare landscape as a whole in the United States. In this regard, one significant development has been the introduction of the Consumer Protection Against Surprise Medical Billing Act. The Act is currently slated to enter the United States House of Representatives for a vote. Thus far, the billing practices of the industry have found protection under the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, which precludes the states from interfering in the matters of medical flight billing.
The New Bill and Air Ambulance Billing
The most important provision of the bill is that it will protect all the patients against balance billing practices even if the service provider is out-of-network of the insurance company. The patients will only be charged according to the in-network charges, which obviously will be covered by their insurance.
Explanation of benefits in advance is another important provision. Currently, the patients have no say in opting for air ambulance services during emergencies. The healthcare provider would take the call during the emergency, and the patient would not have a say. This will change with the introduction of the new bill, allowing the patient to make an informed decision.
If the new bill is successful, the air ambulance service providers would be compelled to give cost estimates before providing the services to the patient. In essence, the patient will be able to make a prudent financial decision if he or she is paying by cash or is uninsured.
A mediated process for resolution of the dispute would be put in place. Any party involved including the air ambulance company would be free to dispute any part of the payment through a mediated process. There would be a window of 30 days to find a resolution.
