The federal government’s ban on surprise bills took effect at the start of 2022 in effort to protect patients from being stuck with hefty medical bills when providers and payers fail to agree to pricing terms.
To remove patients from being stuck in the middle, the law set up a process for how providers and payers can resolve pricing disputes. Unable to come to pricing terms, payers and providers both submit one offer to a third party, known as an arbiter, who is then supposed to select one offer.