When you get emergency care or get 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. In these cases, you shouldn't be charged more than your plan's copayments, coinsurance and/or deductible.
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 or have to pay the entire bill if you see a provider or visit a health care facility that isn’t in your health plan’s network.
“Out-of-network” describes providers and facilities that haven’t 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 can’t 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.
If you have an emergency medical condition and get emergency services from an 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 can’t be balance billed for these emergency services. This includes services you may get after you’re in stable condition, unless you give written consent and give up your protections not to be balanced billed for these post-stabilization services.
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 can’t 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 can’t balance bill you, unless you give written consent and give up your protections.
If you believe you’ve been wrongly billed, you may contact Aetna, Emblem Health, or Kaiser using the toll-free number on the back of your ID card. If you have Aetna PPO or Aetna HDHP self-funded coverage or Kaiser coverage you may also contact CMS at 800-985-3059. If you have Emblem Health fully insured coverage you may also contact the New York State Department of Financial Services at 800-342-3736 or surprisemedicalbills@dfs.ny.gov.
Visit https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises or https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/laws-and-regulations/laws/no-surprises-act for more information about your rights under federal law. If you have Emblem Health fully insured coverage you may also visit http://www.dfs.ny.gov for information about your rights under NY state law.
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