Ending Surprise Billing with the Good Faith Estimate
As of January 1st 2022, under the No Surprises Act law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services. You have the right to request and receive a “Good Faith Estimate” (GFE) explaining how much your medical care will cost you.
Under this law, you have the right to receive a GFE for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services including related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees.
You can ask your provider to give you a GFE in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service, or you can also ask for a GFE before you schedule an item or service.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 425-357-9111.
