Since January 1, 2022, a federal law called the No Surprises Act has protected patients against surprise medical bills. Before the law took effect, nearly one in five emergency room patients received a surprise bill, according to federal health officials.
The law does not forbid high costs. It forbids the surprise. Before non-emergency care, providers have to give uninsured patients a good faith estimate of the costs. A patient whose bill is $400 or more above the estimate can dispute it.