According to the No Surprises Act, beginning January 1, 2022, if you’re uninsured or don’t plan to submit a claim to your insurance plan, health care/mental health care providers and facilities must provide you with a “good faith estimate” of expected charges before you receive services. The good faith estimate isn’t a bill; it’s an estimate of cost.
Providers and facilities must give you a good faith estimate if you ask for one, or when you schedule a service (appointment). It should include expected charges for the service you’re getting. Here at The Marriage & Family Center you will be given a Good Faith Estimate following the “intake” call, before you actually receive services.
You may file a dispute if you are at least $400 above your Good Faith Estimate. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.
If you get a bill and find you were charged an amount that’s $400 or more than what’s on your good faith estimate, you can use a new process to request that an independent third-party, called a dispute resolution entity, review your case and determine an appropriate payment. This process is called “patient-provider dispute resolution.”
The dispute resolution entity will review the good faith estimate, your bill, and information submitted by your provider or facility to determine if you should pay the amount on your good faith estimate, the billed charge, or an amount in between the two.
There’s a $25 non-refundable administrative fee to start this process.
For help with surprise bills: call the No Surprises Help Desk at 1-800-985-3059.
Start a dispute by mail or fax (PDF) (en español) (PDF)
For more information about Consumer protection against surprise medical bills, go to: https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.