Federal officials offering emergency funding to hospitals, clinics and doctors' practices have included this stipulation: They cannot foist surprise medical bills on COVID-19 patients.
As the first wave of $30 billion in payouts began to hit bank accounts last week, providers were asked to sign an online form agreeing to the government's terms. "If you took the broadest interpretation, any of us could be a potential patient," said Jack Hoadley, a professor emeritus of health policy at Georgetown University and former commissioner of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.
"Because the terms and conditions do not appear to be sufficiently clarified, there is a concern that there will be legal challenges around the balance-billing provision," said Rodney Whitlock, a health policy consultant and former Senate staffer. Hoadley of Georgetown said HHS' guidance should address some of the problems that Congress did not account for explicitly in its relief legislation, such as cases of patients being billed for testing for COVID-19 when the test results were negative.