Families USA Action joins Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Amicus Brief to Defend the No Surprises Act in Haller Case

Families USA Action joined the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and 14 additional consumer and patient organizations in signing this amicus brief defending the No Surprises Act (NSA) in litigation filed by New York surgeon Dr. Daniel Haller and his practice attempting to invalidate the law.

Haller is challenging critical provisions of the NSA that prohibit providers from balance billing patients and require plans and providers to resolve payment disputes through Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR). Through his lawsuit, Dr. Haller is trying to reinstate balance billing for out-of-network charges – a greed-driven business practice used by health care corporations and provider interests to increase revenue on the backs of hard-working families.

The brief aims to refute provider rhetoric that the NSA dooms them and underscores how essential it is to maintain federal protections against balance billing — before NSA implementation, one in five emergency department visits and nearly one in five in-network hospital stays could result in a surprise medical bill. It also defends the NSA’s role in containing health care costs and underscores what is at stake for families’ health and wallets if the court declares the NSA is unconstitutional and invalidates it.