Action Plan: Surprise bill for emergency room visit
Your situation: Unexpected bill for emergency room visit
This action plan applies to you if:
- You went to the emergency room and got a medical bill from your visit that you weren’t expecting
- You used health insurance (Marketplace, employer-sponsored, or another private health plan)
Not your situation?
Answer a few questions, and we’ll get you to the right place.
Action Plan
The No Surprises Act protects you from unexpected medical bills in most emergency situations. (This applies to most types of health insurance.) Here’s what you can do.
Learn about your rights.
When you get emergency room care, you have federal protections under the No Surprises Act in most cases. (This applies to most types of health insurance.) You only have to pay your copay or coinsurance and deductible.
Get more information about your rights
Protections from unexpected out-of-network bills don’t apply when you get:
- Ground ambulance services
- Vision care, using limited scope vision insurance
- Dental care, using limited scope dental insurance
- Short-term limited duration and health care sharing ministry plans
- Fixed indemnity expected benefits plans, like travel or hospital indemnity insurance
If this applies to you, read about getting help from outside resources.
Check your bill for errors.
Does your bill match what happened when you got care? Are you getting billed twice for the same thing or for services you didn’t get?
Compare the explanation of benefits from your health plan to your bill.
Look at the “What you owe” column in the explanation of benefits. It should be the same as the amount on your bill.
Learn how to read your explanation of benefits
Talk to your provider if your bill is more than your explanation of benefits.
Ask your provider or health care facility to reduce your bill or give you a refund if you already paid.
Talk to your health insurance company if you were billed for a service you thought was covered by the health plan.
If you can’t come to an agreement with your provider or health insurance company, submit a complaint.
When you submit a complaint, you’re still responsible for paying the amount listed as "What you owe" in your explanation of benefits. But submitting a complaint will help us ensure that providers follow the explanation of benefits in the future.
Get help from outside resources.
Here are more resources to help resolve your issue:
Consumer Assistance Programs
Consumer Assistance Programs may be able to give you advice for your specific case in the state you got care.
Patient advocates
Patient advocates can handle medical billing issues on your behalf.
Friends and family
Consider asking a loved one for help. They can advocate on your behalf if you’re feeling sick or overwhelmed.
Still have questions? Find the answers you need in a way that works for you.
Call the No Surprises Help Desk
Get answers about the No Surprises Act. Call our Help Desk at 1-800-985-3059. We can help you in English, Spanish and over 350 other languages.
Find a patient advocate near you
Patient advocates can help you navigate the healthcare system. Work with an advocate to get the care and resources you need.
Page Last Modified:
08/25/2026 04:17 PM