The American Hospital Association and American Medical Association have moved to dismiss their legal challenge of the No Surprises Act's independent dispute resolution process, but vowed to make their "voices heard in courts very soon."
The groups filed a lawsuit challenging the process in December 2021 seeking to force the federal government to bring regulations in line with the law before the dispute negotiations begin, according to a Sept. 20 news release. The groups said the lawsuit became moot when HHS and the Labor Department issued the final rule Aug. 26.
The groups said that they remain concerned that the final rule "continues to favor insurers and does not line up with what Congress intended when it passed the law."
"Congress enacted the law with a balanced, patient-friendly approach, and it should be implemented that way," the groups said in the news release. "We have serious concerns that the August 2022 final rule departs from Congressional intent just as the September 2021 interim final rule did. Hospitals and doctors intend to make our voices heard in the courts very soon about these continued problems."