EP386: What You Need to Know About ER Bills Post the No Surprises Act, With Al Lewis
Episode Description
What You Need to Know About ER Bills Post the No Surprises Act, With Al Lewis. The No Surprises Act Didn't Make the ER Financially Safe—Here's What Still Gets Patients. Episode 386.
Stacey Richter talks with Al Lewis, founder of Quizzify, about what's still financially risky about emergency room visits even after the No Surprises Act, and how the Quizzify Consent Form helps patients protect themselves from excessive charges.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
✅ Why the No Surprises Act was terrible news specifically for surprise-billing-dependent ER staffing firms like Team Health and Envision
✅ How the Quizzify Consent Form gives patients specific language to write on ER financial forms to protect themselves
✅ Why every hospital or physician bill is effectively a surprise bill if the patient doesn't know the charge ahead of time
✅ How payers' historically weak negotiating leverage with hospitals still exposes patients with cost-sharing to large ER bills
✅ What limits the Quizzify card places on ER bills, both in-network and out-of-network
✅ Why employers can play a direct role in protecting employees from ER financial toxicity
WHY THIS MATTERS
The No Surprises Act closed one loophole, but it didn't fix the underlying problem of patients not knowing what care will cost until the bill arrives. Lewis's practical, low-cost tool gives employers and patients something they can act on today rather than waiting for the next round of legislation.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
No past-episode citations in this episode's timestamped chapter list.
=== LINKS ===
🔗 Show Notes with all mentioned links: Episode Page
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00:00 Introduction.
06:34 What is the evolving problem around surprise bills?
07:08 What are the two issues with the No Surprises Act?
09:13 Why are ER bills in network still so high?
17:27 How does the Quizzify Consent Form work for patients with insurance who unexpectedly visit the hospital?
20:50 "They're basically saying, 'We don't abide by federal law.' Good luck with that."
22:20 "The better question is, why aren't other vendors copying it?"
23:56 How would Quizzify affect the hospital bottom line if employers start utilizing it as part of their employee healthcare?
27:35 Is there any potential downside to Quizzify?
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