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.

Under Section 2799B-6 of the Public Health Service Act, health care providers and health care facilities are required to provide a good faith estimate of expected charges for items and services to individuals who are NOT enrolled in a plan or coverage or a Federal health care program, or NOT seeking to file a claim with their plan or coverage both orally and in writing, upon request or at the time of scheduling health care items and services.

If you are a client at LifeSpring Counseling Services who is uninsured and/or who is not seeking to bill their health insurance to receive services, this information applies to you and your rights to receive a Good Faith Estimate for Healthcare Services.

• Emergency services 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.

• Certain services at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center 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.

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.

You’re never required to give up your protections from balance billing. You also aren’t required to get care out-of-network. You can choose a provider or facility in your plan’s network.

You are only responsible for paying your share of the cost (like the copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles that you would pay if the provider or facility was in-network). Your health plan will pay out-of-network providers and facilities directly.

Your health plan generally must:

• Cover emergency services without requiring you to get approval for services in advance (prior authorization).

• Cover emergency services by out-of-network providers.

• Base what you owe the provider or facility (cost-sharing) on what it would pay an in-network provider or facility and show that amount in your explanation of benefits.

• Count any amount you pay for emergency services or out-of-network services toward your deductible and out-of-pocket limit.

• Your mental health therapist at LifeSpring Counseling Services

• LifeSpring Counseling Services’ Billing Team: 410-497-8451

• Melissa Wesner, Owner of LifeSpring Counseling Services at melissa@lifespringcounseling.net

• You may also start a dispute resolution process with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). If you choose to use the dispute resolution process, you must start the dispute process within 120 calendar days (about 4 months) of the date 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 this Good Faith Estimate. If the agency disagrees with you and agrees with the health care provider or facility, you will have to pay the higher amount. To learn more and get a form to start the process, go to www.cms.gov/nosurprises. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate or the dispute process, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises.

The information above has been taken from cms.gov’s Model Disclosure Notice.