As of 01/01/2022, health care providers including therapists are required by law to give uninsured and self-pay clients a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) of costs for services that they offer, when scheduling care or when a patient requests an estimate. The No Surprises Act (NSA) was designed to protect patients from surprise bills for emergency services at out-of-network facilities or for out-of-network providers at in-network facilities, holding them liable only for in-network cost-sharing amounts.
You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost. Under the law, healthcare providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services. This Good Faith Estimate must be provided to the client in writing. This allows you to shop around for services and choose between providers. Healthcare providers are required to share fees for their services. The costs provided on the Good Faith Estimate are estimated costs based on the service pricing at the time of the estimate. When additional or ancillary services are requested or recommended an new Good Faith Estimate (GFE) must be provided. The Good Faith Estimate is not a contract, this means that you are not required to retain these services or items listed in the Good Faith Estimate from Healing Together Counseling & Wellness.
Under the federal law, if you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate you can dispute (appeal) the bill. Please always make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate for your records.
If you choose to use the dispute resolution process, you must start the dispute process within 120 calendar days of the date of service listed on the original bill. There is a $25 fee to use the dispute process. If the agency reviewing your dispute agrees with you, you will have to pay the price on the Good Faith Estimate. If the agency disagrees with you and agrees with the health care provider, you will have to pay the higher amount.
For questions and information about the No Surprises Act, the Good Faith Estimate or the dispute process, please visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 1-800-985-3059.
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