Texas group's latest No Surprises Act lawsuit challenges 600% fee hike
By Admin | February 01, 2023
The Texas Medical Association has filed its fourth lawsuit against the federal No Surprises Act, this time challenging a 600 percent hike in administrative fees when seeking dispute resolutions.
The latest lawsuit argues that the fee hike will restrict many physicians' ability to seek arbitration when an insurer offers insufficient payment for care, according to a Jan. 31 TMA news release.
Federal agencies announced in October the administrative fees would remain $50 in 2023, according to the release. Two months later, the agencies announced the fee would increase to $350 beginning in January 2023 "due to supplemental data analysis and increasing expenditures in carrying out the federal [independent dispute resolution] process since the development of the prior 2023 guidance."
"The problem is that many payment disputes in these cases amount to less than the fees physicians would have to pay to dispute the unfair payments," TMA President Gary Floyd, MD, said in a statement. "Why would doctors and providers pay the $350 nonrefundable administrative fee to arbitrate a...(More)
For more info, Texas group's latest No Surprises Act lawsuit challenges 600% fee hike, Becker's Hospital Review
