In December 2020, the No Surprises Act was signed into law as part of the fiscal year 2021 appropriations package. This Act aims to protect patients from “surprise” medical bills, which are unexpected bills that individuals may receive after receiving healthcare services. In July 2021, in an effort to start implementing the No Surprises Act, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Labor (DoL), Department of the Treasury, and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a regulation to restrict excessive out-of-pocket costs from surprise billing. This rule goes into effect for health care providers and facilities, as well as group health plans, health insurance issuers, and Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program carriers on January 1, 2022.

Here’s how it supports mothers and families:

The American Families Plan will provide direct support to families to ensure that low- and middle-income families spend no more than seven percent of their income on child care, and that the child care they access is of high quality. It will also provide direct support to workers and families by creating a national comprehensive paid family and medical leave program that will bring the American system in line with competitor nations that offer paid leave programs. And, the plan will provide critical nutritional assistance to families who need it most and expand access to healthy meals to our Nation’s students – dramatically reducing childhood hunger.

Federal Agencies Move Forward with “Surprise Billing” Regulations that will Impact Moms

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