The Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) recently posted translations of its standard Notice of Balance Billing Consumer Rights in ten additional languages. OIC recently updated the notice to comply with requirements for both the state’s Balance Billing Protection Act (BBPA) and the federal No Surprises Act (NSA), which went into effect January 1, 2022. The updated version should be used in place of the previous notice. Links to the translated copies are on OIC’s Federal No Surprises Act page.
The legislature is currently considering and is expected to pass legislation to align provisions of state law and the BBPA with the NSA. House Bill 1688 passed the House and is now being considered in the Senate. WSHA provided stakeholder input and testified on the bill to ensure it minimizes burden for hospitals and providers. (Andrew Busz, AndrewB@wsha.org)
