Surprise Medical Billing Rule Is Fair, Health Agency Tells Court

A rule aimed at protecting patients from surprise medical bills should stand now that the process it describes for settling payment disputes between providers and insurers aligns with Congress’ intent, the Biden administration told a federal court in Texas.

The Department of Health and Human Services reasonably used its authority to establish procedures for the independent dispute resolution process with the goal of lowering health-care costs and reducing the harms of surprise bills, the agency said Wednesday.

The HHS set off a cascade of lawsuits when it published an interim final rule under the No Surprises Act, a congressional directive ...