H3302

Stop Surprise Bills Act aims to protect patients from unexpected out-of-network medical bills.

The Stop Surprise Bills Act aims to protect South Carolina patients from unexpected out-of-network medical bills, known as surprise bills. It defines a surprise bill as a bill for services rendered by an out-of-network provider during emergency care or at an in-network facility. The Act prohibits insurers from requiring prior authorization for emergency services and limits patient out-of-pocket costs to in-network rates. It also mandates that insurers reimburse out-of-network providers at in-network rates unless otherwise agreed.