Where Did the No Surprises Act Go Wrong? And Can It Be Fixed?

Where Did the No Surprises Act Go Wrong? And Can It Be Fixed?

From Tradeoffs by Tradeoffs

June 11, 2026 · 52 min · Season 1 · Episode 381

About this episode

This episode discusses the challenges and potential improvements to the No Surprises Act, focusing on its implementation and the ongoing disputes in medical billing.

The No Surprises Act was designed to protect patients from unexpected medical bills, but nearly four years after the law took effect, many experts say parts of its implementation aren't working as intended. Insurers, hospitals, physician groups and federal regulators continue to battle over the law's payment dispute process, raising questions about whether one of the nation's most significant health care consumer protection laws is achieving its goals. In this special live episode of Tradeoffs, host Dan Gorenstein moderates a conversation with three leading experts on surprise medical billing, health insurance regulation and federal health policy. They explain how the No Surprises Act was implemented, how litigation has shaped the arbitration process, why providers have won a disproportionate share of payment disputes and what policymakers could do to improve the law. Guests: Zack Cooper , Associate Professor of Public Health and of Economics, Yale University; Director of Health Policy, Tobin Center for Economic Policy; Director, Health Care Affordability Lab at Yale Benjamin Chartock , Assistant Professor of Economics, Bentley University Lindsey Murtagh , Senior Fellow in Health…

People in this episode

Host: Dan Gorenstein

Guests: Zack Cooper, Benjamin Chartock, Lindsey Murtagh, Rachel Werner

Topics covered

  • No Surprises Act
  • health care consumer protection
  • medical billing
  • health insurance regulation
  • payment disputes
  • federal health policy

Keywords

  • No Surprises Act
  • medical bills
  • health insurance
  • payment disputes
  • health policy
  • consumer protection

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Yale University, Tobin Center for Economic Policy, Bentley University, Brown University School of Public Health, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

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