WASHINGTON, D.C., June 16, 2022 — The bipartisan No Surprises Act, which took effect Jan. 1, is protecting patients from the most egregious forms of surprise medical bills. With final rules expected to be announced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) later this summer, the American Heart Association, a global force for healthier lives for all, is once again calling upon its nationwide network of cardiovascular disease patients and grassroots advocates to urge the White House and Congress to ensure meaningful enforcement of the law.
"Patients are grateful for the No Surprises Act's protections from financially devastating surprise bills – in fact, 90% of voters support the new law," said American Heart Association President Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, M.D., Sc.M., FAHA, chair of the department of preventive medicine, the Eileen M. Foell Professor of Heart Research and professor of preventive medicine, medicine and pediatrics at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. "The No Surprises Act must be strongly enforced to ensure patients continue to be protected from surprise bills, which can amount to thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars."
Prior to the law's implementation, more than half of all patients in the United States had received a surprise medical bill for treatment they expected to be covered by insurance. Often, the worry about an unexpected medical bill would keep a patient from seeking care in the first place, according to the findings of a public opinion survey conducted in October 2020 by The Harris Poll on behalf of the American Heart Association.
Since Jan. 1, the No Surprises Act has protected patients across the country from most surprise medical bills. According to one estimate, the law will prevent more than 12 million surprise medical bills this year alone.
The American Heart Association is leading a national campaign to increase awareness of the new protections by amplifying the voices of patients. The grassroots campaign features digital and social media advertising in Washington, D.C. and across the country to reinforce the benefits of the bipartisan law. The Association is also mobilizing advocates nationwide through its You're the Cure grassroots network to contact their lawmakers during the upcoming Congressional recess about the importance of the No Surprises Act's strong protections. Members of the public are invited to join the Association's efforts to protect patients from surprise medical bills by texting "SURPRISE" to 46839.
These efforts follow successful grassroots campaigns in 2020 urging Congress to pass bipartisan legislation protecting patients from surprise bills, and in 2021 supporting strong rules that ensure the No Surprises Act achieves its promise to remove patients from payment disputes. In both cases, thousands of You're The Cure advocates took action nationwide.
"Patients suffering from cardiac arrest, heart attack or stroke can now focus on their urgent medical needs and not have to worry about receiving a financially devastating surprise bill," said Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association. "Patients want the White House and Congress to ensure they'll continue to receive the protections promised to them in the No Surprises Act."
