CMS-9909- Surprise Billing Disclaimer
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Notice: This HHS-approved document has been submitted to the Office of the Federal Register (OFR) for publication and has not yet been placed on public display or published in the Federal Register. The document may vary slightly from the published document if minor editorial changes have been made during the OFR review process. The document published in the Federal Register is the official HHS-approved document. [Billing Codes: 6523-63-P; 4830-01-P; 4510-29-P; 4120-01-P] OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT 5 CFR Part 890 [RIN 3206-AO30] DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Internal Revenue Service 26 CFR Parts 1 and 54 [TD9951] RIN 1545-BQ04 DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employee Benefits Security Administration 29 CFR Parts 2510 and 2590 [RIN 1210-AB99] DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 45 CFR Parts 144, 147, 149, and 156 CMS-9909-IFC [RIN 0938-AU63] Requirements Related to Surprise Billing; Part I CMS-9909-IFC 2 AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management; Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury; Employee Benefits Security Administration, Department of Labor; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services. ACTION: Interim final rules with request for comments. SUMMARY: This document sets forth interim final rules implementing certain provisions of the No Surprises Act, which was enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116-260). These interim final rules amend and add provisions to existing rules under the Internal Revenue Code, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, the Public Health Service Act, and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Act. These interim final rules implement provisions of the No Surprises Act that protect participants, beneficiaries, and enrollees in group health plans and group and individual health insurance coverage from surprise medical bills when they receive emergency services, non-emergency services from nonparticipating providers at participating facilities, and air ambulance services from nonparticipating providers of air ambulance services, under certain circumstances. In this rulemaking, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Department of the Treasury (collectively, the Departments) are issuing interim final rules with largely parallel provisions that apply to group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group or individual health insurance coverage. HHS is also issuing in this rulemaking additional interim final rules that apply to emergency departments of hospitals and independent freestanding emergency departments, health care providers and facilities, and providers of air ambulance services related to the protections against surprise billing. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing in this rulemaking interim final rules that specify CMS-9909-IFC 3 how certain provisions of the No Surprises Act apply to health benefits plans offered by carriers under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Act (FEHBA). DATES: Effective Date: These regulations are effective on [INSERT DATE 60 DAYS AFTER PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER]. Applicability Date: The regulations are generally applicable for plan years (in the individual market, policy years) beginning on or after January 1, 2022. The HHS-only regulations that apply to health care providers, facilities, and providers of air ambulance services are applicable beginning on January 1, 2022. The OPM-only regulations that apply to health benefits plans are applicable to contract years beginning on or after January 1, 2022. Comment date: To be assured consideration, comments must be received at one of the addresses provided below, no later than 5 p.m. on [INSERT DATE 60 DAYS AFTER DATE OF DISPLAY IN FEDERAL REGISTER]. ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted to the addresses specified below. Any comment that is submitted will be shared among the Departments and OPM. Please do not submit duplicates. Comments will be made available to the public. Warning: Do not include any personally identifiable information (such as name, address, or other contact information) or confidential business information that you do not want publicly disclosed. Comments are posted on the internet exactly as received and can be retrieved by most internet search engines. No deletions, modifications, or redactions will be made to the comments received, as they are public records. Comments may be submitted anonymously. In commenting, refer to file code CMS-9909-IFC. Because of staff and resource CMS-9909-IFC 4 limitations, we cannot accept comments by facsimile (FAX) transmission. Comments, including mass comment submissions, must be submitted in one of the following three ways (please choose only one of the ways listed): 1. Electronically. You may submit electronic comments on this regulation at https://www.regulations.gov by entering the file code in the search window and then clicking on “Comment”. 2. By regular mail. You may mail written comments to the following address ONLY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services, Attention: CMS-9909-IFC, P.O. Box 8016, Baltimore, MD 21244-8016. Please allow sufficient time for mailed comments to be received before the close of the comment period. 3. By express or overnight mail. You may send written comments to the following address ONLY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services, Attention: CMS-9909-IFC, Mail Stop C4-26-05, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850 CMS-9909-IFC 5 For information on viewing public comments, see the beginning of the “SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION” section. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Padma Babubhai Shah, Office of Personnel Management, at 202-606-4056; Kari DiCecco, Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury, at 202-317-5500; Matt Litton or David Sydlik, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Department of Labor, at 202-693-8335; Lindsey Murtagh, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services, at 301-492-4106. Customer Service Information: Information from OPM on health benefits plans offered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program can be found on the OPM website (www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/). Individuals interested in obtaining information from the DOL concerning employment-based health coverage laws may call the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) Toll-Free Hotline at 1-866-444-EBSA (3272) or visit the DOL’s website (www.dol.gov/ebsa). In addition, information from HHS on private health insurance coverage and coverage provided by non-federal governmental group health plans can be found on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website (www.cms.gov/cciio), and information on health care reform can be found at www.HealthCare.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Inspection of Public Comments: Comments received before the close of the comment period are available for viewing by the public, including any personally identifiable or confidential business information that is included in a comment. We post comments received before the close of the comment period on the following website as soon as possible after they CMS-9909-IFC 6 have been received: https://regulations.gov. Follow the search instructions on that website to view public comments. I. Background A. Patient Protections and Requirements Related to Emergency Services under Section 2719A of the Public Health Service Act The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Pub. L. 111–148), was enacted on March 23, 2010 and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, Public Law 111–152, was enacted on March 30, 2010 (these statutes are collectively known as the “Affordable Care Act” or “ACA”). The Affordable Care Act reorganizes, amends, and adds to the provisions of part A of title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act) relating to group health plans and health insurance issuers in the group and individual markets.1 The Affordable Care Act adds section 715(a)(1) to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and section 9815(a)(1) to the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) to incorporate the provisions of part A of title XXVII of the PHS Act into ERISA and the Code, and make them applicable to group health plans and health insurance issuers providing health insurance coverage in connection with group health plans. Sections 2701 through 2728 of the PHS Act are incorporated into ERISA and the Code. Under section 2719A of the PHS Act, as added by the Affordable Care Act and incorporated into ERISA and the Code, if a non-grandfathered group health plan or health insurance issuer offering non-grandfathered group or individual health insurance coverage provides any benefits with respect to emergency services in an emergency department of a hospital, the plan or issuer must cover emergency services without the individual or the health 1 The term “group health plan” includes both insured and self-insured group health plans. CMS-9909-IFC 7 care provider having to obtain prior authorization (including when the emergency services are provided out-of-network) and without regard to whether the health care provider furnishing the emergency services is an in-network provider with respect to the services. The emergency services must be provided without regard to any other term or condition of the plan or health insurance coverage other than the exclusion or coordination of benefits, an affiliation or waiting