News Briefs: AMA, AHA Scrap Surprise Billing Lawsuit

The American Medical Association (AMA) and American Hospital Association (AHA) on Sept. 20 both pulled lawsuits challenging rulemaking related to the No Surprises Act (NSA), the federal law that banned most balance billing. In a joint statement, the country’s two largest provider trade groups said that “the lawsuit became moot when the Administration released a revised final rule on Aug. 26. However, the AHA and AMA remain concerned that the final rule continues to favor insurers and does not line up with what Congress intended when it passed the law.” A broad group of providers objected to the Biden administration’s guidance on Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR), the HHS-managed arbitration process that will resolve balance billing disputes. Payers and providers have viewed IDR regulations as a zero-sum issue. Providers have argued that rulemaking favored insurers at their expense. The Biden administration recently released new guidance designed to address providers’ concerns and head off legal challenges; while that has worked in the AMA and AHA’s cases, several other lawsuits from providers are still in progress.

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