The No Surprise Act and Good Faith Estimate

As of January 1st, 2022, the “No Surprise Act” goes into effect. These are new federal protections against surprise medical bills. A surprise medical bill generally occurs when an insured consumer receives care from an out-of-network hospital, doctor, or other providers they did not ‘choose.’ The final rules about how to implement this in the private practice setting have not been created by the federal government. The No Surprise Act requires health care providers to provide a Good Faith Estimate of charges to new and continuing clients who are either uninsured or aren’t planning to submit a claim to insurance for the services they are seeking. The Base EQ PLLC is ‘out of network’ for all insurance companies.

If you are contemplating working with me, I might need to provide you with a diagnosis before we meet, which is unethical and impossible without an evaluation and assessment. Professional organizations are currently working to understand the details of this law, to whom it applies, and how it applies. There is limited guidance at this time.

The Base EQ PLLC will be as transparent as possible with you about the costs of the services we agree on together. I believe that billing transparency is the only way for The Base EQ PLLC to bring trust and integrity into our working relationship. The only time you might incur additional fees is when we do a longer session than planned. In this case, I stop and contract with you about the costs associated with extending a session. Or if you need to be hospitalized and this requires extensive coordination of care with the hospital, more phone contact with you, and/or with other providers. Your therapist will talk to you about prorating their usual fee for these contacts, and they will not be a surprise to you.

While the “No Surprise Act” is being sorted, ask your therapist about any costs about which you may be unsure, and you will receive clear information. You may receive new forms to comply with this new legal requirement.