The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) can’t seem to catch a break of late. 2023 has been a tough year for the agency, with the court system and Congress dealing it repeated blows, primarily over enactment of the No Surprises Act (NSA).Many are undoubtedly at least somewhat familiar with the NSA as the law that protects consumers from most instances of “surprise” medical bills, such as those for out-of-network care at an in-network hospital. But were you aware that it’s been the subject of four recent lawsuits and multiple congressional hearings?And were you aware that of those lawsuits and hearings, all have attacked the NSA, and both directly and indirectly CMS, for difficulties like improper implementation, unintended consequences, and massive backlogs associated with its touted dispute resolution process?Let’s take a quick look at two of the most recent happenings around the ever-contentious bill, and what CMS has done amid the controversy.Last week, the influential U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on perceived failings of the NSA, illustratively titled “Reduced Care for Patients: Fallout from Flawed Implementation of Surprise Medical Billing Protections.”
