Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman announced that the Insurance Department has submitted a notice to the Pennsylvania Bulletin outlining guidance for insurers that encounter providers engaging in inappropriate billing practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. The notice is a continuation of Notice 2020-03, issued March 21, 2020, which urged health insurers to help consumers avoid balance billing and surprise balance bills. The notice also recommended health insurers make all necessary and useful information available on their websites, or through consumer assistance lines, to provide readily available accurate information for insureds during the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The COVID-19 Surprise Bill notice encourages health insurers to continue with guidance issued in previous notices and encourages companies and agencies to be aware of new potential billing issues that have arisen in context of the continuing pandemic. Click here to read the release.
