An Indiana law going into effect Jan. 1 hopes to reduce surprise billing, WNDU reported Dec. 28.
The Indiana balance billing law will apply to patients who have state-regulated health insurance. Patients will be able to ask providers for an estimate on how much scheduled, nonemergency services cost.
Under the law, if a procedure is done by an out-of-network provider at an in-network facility, the provider can't charge a patient more than what's allowed by their network plan. If an out-of-network provider plans to charge more than what's allowed, the patient must have five days' notice and sign off on the price tag.
Additionally, hospitals and ASCs must post pricing for the most common services on their websites.