News

Patients are largely protected from surprise medical bills, but they are paying the price for certain private equity-backed providers and out-of-network specialists who abuse the No Surprises Act. A new CBS News investigation examines how the law’s arbitration process...

While the No Surprises Act largely succeeded in preventing consumers from receiving surprise medical bills, rising costs — amounting to more than $22.4 billion — generated by misuse and abuse of the law’s independent dispute resolution (IDR) process are cutting into...

After a new federal rule slashed the administrative fee for initiating IDR disputes by 87% — from $115 to just $15, nearly 400,000 disputes were initiated in July 2026 alone. This 24% jump in just one month is one of the latest signals that the IDR process has veered...

A new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that the No Surprises Act’s arbitration process is incentivizing providers to go out-of-network and driving higher premiums. The economists estimate that the undue costs of the independent dispute...

Extreme and inflationary independent dispute resolution (IDR) awards are forcing employers to pay more for healthcare, according to a new analysis from The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC). This latest report underscores how far the No Surprises Act’s IDR process has...

Certain out-of-network providers’ abuse and misuse of arbitration have become a $22 billion affordability crisis, according to recent government data analyzed by Georgetown researchers. Excessive independent dispute resolution (IDR) costs have translated directly into...

A new Paragon Health Institute analysis urges Congress to reform IDR and address the misaligned incentives driving up costs for employers and consumers. The paper builds on mounting evidence of excessive arbitration awards and limited oversight, citing an estimated...

The city of San Antonio is $40 million over its employee healthcare budget this year following costly misuse and abuse of the independent dispute resolution (IDR) process by a handful of out-of-network providers. New reporting from the San Antonio Express-News details...

Untenable and unsustainable IDR costs are driving up premiums for employers and employees, and new data from researchers at Georgetown University uncovers how out-of-network providers’ abuse and misuse of arbitration has become a $22 billion affordability crisis....