High volume of No Surprises Act arbitrations overwhelming system: CDC

Insurers and providers are overwhelming an arbitration system Congress set up to resolve billing disputes as part of the law to prevent surprise medical bills, Axios reports. The No Surprises Act, which went into effect in 2022, protected privately insured patients from getting stuck holding the bag when there's a disagreement over the cost of out-of-network care. Federal agencies estimated there would be 17,333 claims a year submitted to the independent dispute resolution process, but data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shows more than 90,000 disputes initiated in less than six months.