Federal office cuts threaten surprise medical bill protections

The federal office responsible for implementing the No Surprises Act has faced significant staff cuts, with 15% of its employees laid off. This has raised concerns about the agency's ability to manage disputes over surprise medical bills effectively. The Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) is already struggling with a backlog of cases. The recent layoffs threaten to delay new rules aimed at improving the dispute resolution process for out-of-network medical bills. Despite the cuts, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services stated it remains committed to enforcing the No Surprises Act. However, the future of the agency's operations may be at risk due to potential further budget reductions.