Your rights and protections against surprise medical bills

Effective date: October 8, 2026

What is balance billing?

When you see a doctor or other health care provider, you may owe certain out-of-pocket costs, such as a copayment, coinsurance, or deductible. You may have other costs, or have to pay the entire bill, if you see a provider or visit a facility that is not in your health plan's network.

An out-of-network provider may try to bill you for the difference between what your plan agreed to pay and the full amount charged. This is called balance billing. A surprise bill is an unexpected balance bill, which can happen when you cannot control who is involved in your care, such as in an emergency or when an out-of-network provider treats you at an in-network facility.

You are protected from balance billing for

Emergency services

If you have an emergency medical condition and get emergency services from an out-of-network provider or facility, the most they can bill you is your plan's in-network cost-sharing amount, such as copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles. This includes services you may get after you are in stable condition, unless you give written consent and give up your protections for those services.

Certain services at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center

When you get services from an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, some providers there may be out-of-network. In those cases, the most those providers can bill you is your plan's in-network cost-sharing amount.

This applies to emergency medicine, anesthesia, pathology, radiology, laboratory, neonatology, assistant surgeon, hospitalist, and intensivist services. These providers cannot balance bill you, and they cannot ask you to give up your protections against balance billing.

For other services at these facilities, out-of-network providers cannot balance bill you unless you give written consent and give up your protections. You are never required to give up your protections, and you are not required to get care out-of-network.

When balance billing is not allowed, you also have these protections

• You are only responsible for your share of the cost, such as the copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles you would pay if the provider or facility were in-network. Your health plan pays out-of-network providers and facilities directly.
• Your health plan generally must cover emergency services without requiring approval in advance.
• Your health plan must cover emergency services from out-of-network providers.
• Your health plan must base what you owe the provider or facility on what it would pay an in-network provider or facility, and show that amount in your explanation of benefits.
• Your health plan must count any amount you pay for emergency services or out-of-network services toward your deductible and out-of-pocket limit.

If you think you have been wrongly billed

Please start with our billing team. We will review your account and work with you: 844-565-6471 or 866-909-3109 (español), Monday to Friday, 7:00am to 5:00pm.

You can also contact the federal government or the State of Oklahoma:

• No Surprises Help Desk (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services): 1-800-985-3059, weekdays 8am to 8pm Eastern and weekends 10am to 6pm Eastern, or submit a complaint online
• Oklahoma Insurance Department, Consumer Assistance: 1-800-522-0071, or file a complaint online

Learn more about your rights under federal law at cms.gov/medical-bill-rights.

If you do not have insurance or are not using it

You have the right to receive a good faith estimate of the expected charges for scheduled care. Ask the provider or facility that schedules your care for a good faith estimate before your procedure.