SN 6.19.2021

Page 10/The Sun and News, Saturday, June 19, 2021

State implements new health insurance consumer protections

Addresses ‘surprise billing’ from out-of-network providers

The Michigan Department
of Insurance and Financial
Services is informing
Michiganders of new health
insurance consumer protec-
tions now in place under
bipartisan “surprise billing”
legislation signed into law by
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last
year.
“Unexpected medical bills
can cause patients significant
stress and confusion,” DIFS
Director Anita Fox said.
“These new consumer pro-
tections can help prevent this
problem when a patient,
unbeknownst to them,
receives a portion of their
care from a provider outside

their insurer’s network,

allowing patients to focus on

their own health and recov-

ery without worrying about

surprises medical bills.”

“Surprise billing” occurs

when a person receives

health care in a facility or

from a provider who is cov-

ered by the person’s health

plan, but a portion of the care

is rendered by an out-of-net-

work provider. In some

instances, the person receives

an unexpected bill for these

out-of-network services.

For example, a person

who undergoes surgery may

receive a bill from an anes-

thesiologist who was out of

network, even though the

surgeon and hospital were

in-network with the person’s

health plan. These surprise

bills are often significant

amounts of money exceeding

charges that would be cov-

ered in-network and may

cause confusion for patients

who had assumed their health

plan would cover their medi-

cal care at agreed-to in-net-

work rates.

Bipartisan legislation,

signed by Gov. Whitmer in

2020, requires health care

providers to inform consum-

ers of the possibility of sur-

prise billing using a disclo-

sure form sent at least 14

days before a scheduled

medical service. The form

must explain that the con-

sumer’s insurance company

may not cover all services

and that the patient would be

personally responsible for

any uncovered costs.

As part of the notice,

patients also must be given a

good-faith estimate of the

total cost of the care they will

receive, enabling them to

budget for these expenses in

advance or choose alterna-

tive care. The legislation

applies to most health plans.

Consumers who do not

receive the required disclo-

sure form or who receive a

surprise medical bill after

receiving care should contact

their health insurer, and if

they cannot resolve the issue,

contact DIFS Monday

through Friday 8 a.m. to 5

p.m. at 877-999-6442 or visit

the DIFS website to file a

complaint.

In addition to establishing

disclosure requirements, the

new law states that payment

for out-of-network emergen-

cy services must be negotiat-

ed between the provider and

the patient’s insurance com-

pany, and not with the patient

directly. Beginning July 1,

certain payment disagree-

ments between out-of-net-

work providers and insurers

can go to binding arbitration

under the law.

DIFS is currently seeking

applications from arbitrators

to assist in resolving these

disagreements. Information

on this program, including

the application form, is avail-

able on the DIFS website.

“It is important that con-

sumers understand their

rights under this new law,”

Fox said. “DIFS is first and

foremost a consumer protec-

tion agency, and we are

always here to help answer

questions or concerns that

consumers might have relat-

ed to their insurance.”

More information is avail-

able at Michigan.gov/DIFS.

Ferris, Kendall release academic honors lists

University officials have

announced that 3,909 stu-

dents earned academic hon-

ors for the spring semester at

Ferris State University and

Kendall College of Art and

Design.

To be eligible for academ-

ic honors, students must earn

a 3.5 or higher grade point

average.

Local students who quali-

fied include:

Alto – Scott Beatson,

Sabrina Burd, Casey Depew,

Sarah Devries, Caleb

Giovannucci, Lauren

Herzog, Anika Honhart,

Cody Kastanek, Alejandra

Ledesma, Megan Losey,

Karleigh Mrozinski, Eric

Nessner, Elissa Pitcher,

Laura Porritt, Lauren Prins,

Paul Riha, Jacob Salinas,

Jordan Wintrich.

Caledonia – Katie Alonso,

Kaitlyn Baldwin, Hayley

Beering, Katherine Bork,

Mark Braat, Casey Chausow,

Baylee DeVos, Alexis

Dickerson, Lauren Donkin,

Lauren Fennema, Zachary

Feyen, Ashley Grove, Hong

Ho, Bradley Huisjen, Paula

Jansma, Rebecca Kwasteniet,

Cheryl Long, Abby Mitchell,

Ryan Nausieda, Michael

Otto, Calvon Owens, Nathan

Proudfit, Andrew Reiffer,

Madelyn Saunders, Kelsie

Scharp, Marlene Sneller,

Jane Stidolph, Amber Thiel,

Olivia Torres, Abbie Wayt,

Claudia Wilkinson.

Freeport – Karissa Lange.

Hastings – Jacob Butler,

Rachel Chesnutt, Adrianna

Georg, Robert Hummel,

Grant Joslin, Benjamin

Keller, Shelby Price, Connie

Ricketts, Zarek Rudesill,

Bryce Spurgeon, Kendra

Stoepker, Abby Zull.

Middleville – Jay

Benedict, Jennah Brewer,

Katelynn Brooker, Jennifer

Burgess, Brendan Caswell,

Patrick DeFouw, Rebekah

Felch, Michael Gustavson,

Alixandra Hall, Madison

Hess, Samantha Kilmartin,

Ryan Lowery, Veronica

Mascorro, Lucas McCrath,

Hanna McCrath, Tayler

Moore, Joseph Redick,

Auston Ruth, Brandi Weslow.

Plainwell – Brandon

Buell, Erin Campbell, Dylan

Phaneuf, Jessica Schmittling,

Aryn Scholten, Julia Shultz,

Madison Tran.

Wayland – Grant Allison,

Katelyn Barnes, Chanlyn

Commons, Nathan Goede,

Ashleigh Henkel, Sydney

Hielkema, Gabriela Perez,

Anna Schiess, Thomas

Vanlaan, Megan Weaver.

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Local students on Alma

College dean’s list

Alma College has released

its dean’s list for the 2021

winter term.

Students who earned a 3.

or higher grade point average

during a term, while carrying

a minimum of 13 credits, at

least eight of which are eval-

uative grades, are named to

the dean’s list.

Local students who quali-

fied include:

Alto – Ava Frederickson,

Elizabeth Vredevelt.

Caledonia – Payton

Orlikowski, Genna Schmidt,

Zachary Tuori.

Middleville – Matthew

Lark.

Plainwell – Carina

Andrews, Colleen Loftus.

U-Iowa dean’s

list includes

local students

The University of Iowa in

Iowa City has released its

dean’s list for the 2021 spring

semester.

Among the honorees are:

Mariel Bruxvoort of

Caledonia and Emily Johnson

of Alto.

To qualify, students must

have earned a 3.50 or higher

grade point average on 9 or

more credit hours for the

semester.

Local students

on honor

lists at UA

The University of Alabama

in Tuscaloosa has announced

its dean’s and president’s list

for the spring 2021 term.

The dean’s list includes

full-time undergraduate stu-

dents who earned a 3.5 or

higher grade point average.

Among the honorees were

residents of:

Alto – Justin Heaton.

Middleville – William

VanNoord.

The president’s list recog-

nizes students who earned a

4.0 GPA for the term.

Among the president’s list

honorees was Bailey Green of

Caledonia.

Middleville

TOPS 546

The club had a weigh-in

only Monday.

Four fish jumped into the

fishbowl.

The group then went to

Brann’s in Caledonia to give a

send-off to the longest KOPS.

TOPS, a weight loss group

meets every Monday at

Lincoln Meadows in

Middleville. (Press Apt. 205

for entrance.) Weigh-in is

from 4 to 4:15 p.m., and

meetings begin at 4:15. A

mask must be worn when in

the building. Social distanc-

ing is practiced.

Anyone with questions

may call Chris, 259-953-

5421. The first meeting is
      free.

OPEN Mon-Fri 8 to 4:

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to drop off

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prepaid

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1351 N. M-43 Hwy.

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269.945.

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