Part II: What Federal Billing Transparency Rules Require, What Patients Can Really Do Before a Bill Hits Collections & Where the No Surprises Act & Price Transparency Rules Have Quietly Failed

The viral HIPAA billing claim is wrong. Hospitals do not need your signed authorization before sending a bill to collections. The Privacy Rule explicitly lists collection as a permitted payment activity.

The protection that actually works is Section 501(r) of the tax code. Nonprofit hospitals must make reasonable efforts before any extraordinary collecti…