Court Agrees With Physicians’ Argument in Federal No Surprises Act Rule Case
January 2023
Statement by Gary W. Floyd, MD, Texas Medical Association (TMA) president, in response to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas ruling on TMA’s motion for summary judgment in its lawsuit opposing certain components of federal regulatory agencies’ final rules regarding dispute resolution under the No Surprises Act. TMA argued the case in the U.S. District Court in December, addressing the second of four TMA lawsuits against federal agencies related to rulemaking under the surprise-billing arbitration law.
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“TMA is pleased the court granted its motion for summary judgment in its lawsuit challenging certain components of the federal agencies’ final rules relating to the federal independent dispute resolution (IDR) process under the No Surprises Act. This is an important next step after TMA successfully challenged an interim final rule that similarly skewed the IDR process in health plans’ favor.
“This decision is a major victory for patients and physicians. It also is a reminder that federal agencies must adopt regulations in accordance with the law.
“The decision will promote patients’ access to quality care when they need it most and help guard against health insurer business practices that give patients fewer choices of affordable in-network physicians and threaten the sustainability of physician practices.”
TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation, representing more than 57,000 physician and medical student members. It is located in Austin and has 110 component county medical societies around the state. TMA’s key objective since 1853 is to improve the health of all Texans.
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TMA Contacts: Brent Annear (512) 370-1381; (512) 656-7320
Swathi Narayanan (512) 370-1382; (408) 987-1318
Last Updated On
August 04, 2023
Originally Published On
February 06, 2023