Federal No Surprises Act + -

We want you to be aware of new federal protections for surprise billing, balance billing, and the addition of Good Faith Estimates. Governmental regulation now restricts excessive out-of-pocket costs for services resulting from surprise billing and balance billing. For consumers who don’t have insurance, the new rules make sure you’ll know how much your health care will cost before you get your bill.

1. Q: What is surprise billing?

A: ‘Surprise billing’ is when you receive an unexpected bill from a health care provider or facility. This can happen when a person with health insurance gets medical care from a provider or facility outside their health plan’s network. Surprise billing happens in both emergency and non-emergency care.

2. Q: What is balance billing?

A: ‘Balance billing’ is a type of surprise bill. It is the balance due, or the difference between your total medical bill and the amount paid by a health insurance plan when a patient goes to an out-of-network provider. Patients are expected to pay the difference, which is usually higher than if they had been seen by an in-network provider. 

3. Q: Where can I get an estimate for my hospital charges?

A: Chesapeake Regional has two options: 

You can use the Patient Estimates Tool on ChesapeakeRegional.com.

 Or request an estimate 

• Contact our customer service team at 757-312-6401
• Go to one of our patient portals (MyChart or Athena Health) to request they provide it there or ask that it be sent through the mail

4. Q: Is the estimate a guarantee of charges? 

A: The estimate is based on the information known at the time of the request. If your physician changes the procedure originally estimated, or needs to add a procedure, the charges will likely change.   

5. Q: What happens if my bill is more than the estimate? 

A: If your bill exceeds the estimate by $400, then you have the right to dispute the charge. Your bill will include a customer service phone number to call for help. 

6. Q: My surgeon (or other provider) is not in-network with my insurance. How will I get an estimate of his/her charges?

A: Your physician will provide you with an estimate.

7. Q: If I have Medicare, do I need an estimate?  

A: Medicare and other federal payers already have restrictions for out-of-network billing to help prevent high medical bills.