(a) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (c), a health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after July 1, 2017, that provides benefits through contracts with providers at alternative rates of payment pursuant to Section 10133, shall provide that if an insured receives covered services from a contracting health facility at which, or as a result of which, the insured receives services provided by a noncontracting individual health professional, the insured shall pay no more than the same cost sharing that the insured would pay for the same covered services received from a contracting individual health professional. This amount shall be referred to as the “in-network cost-sharing amount.”

(2) Except as provided in subdivision (c), an insured shall not owe the noncontracting individual health professional more than the in-network cost-sharing amount for services subject to this section. At the time of payment by the insurer to the noncontracting individual health professional, the insurer shall inform the insured and the noncontracting individual health professional of the in-network cost-sharing amount owed by the insured.

(3) A noncontracting individual health professional shall not bill or collect any amount from the insured for services subject to this section except the in-network cost-sharing amount. Any communication from the noncontracting individual health professional to the insured prior to the receipt of information about the in-network cost-sharing amount pursuant to paragraph (2) shall include a notice in 12-point bold type stating that the communication is not a bill and informing the insured that the insured shall not pay until he or she is informed by his or her insurer of any applicable cost sharing.

(4) (A) If the noncontracting individual health professional has received more than the in-network cost-sharing amount from the insured for services subject to this section, the noncontracting individual health professional shall refund any overpayment to the insured within 30 calendar days after receiving payment from the insured.

(B) If the noncontracting individual health professional does not refund any overpayment to the insured within 30 calendar days after being informed of the insured’s in-network cost-sharing amount, interest shall accrue at the rate of 15 percent per annum beginning with the date payment was received from the insured.

(C) A noncontracting individual health professional shall automatically include in his or her refund to the insured all interest that has accrued pursuant to this section without requiring the insured to submit a request for the interest amount.

(b) Except for services subject to subdivision (c), the following shall apply:

(1) Any cost sharing paid by the insured for the services subject to this section shall count toward the limit on annual out-of-pocket expenses established under Section 10112.28.

(2) Cost sharing arising from services subject to this section shall be counted toward any deductible in the same manner as cost sharing would be attributed to a contracting individual health professional.

(3) The cost sharing paid by the insured pursuant to this section shall satisfy the insured’s obligation to pay cost sharing for the health service and shall constitute “applicable cost sharing owed by the insured.”

(c) For services subject to this section, if an insured has an insurance contract that includes coverage for out-of-network benefits, a noncontracting individual health professional may bill or collect from the insured the out-of-network cost sharing, if applicable, only when the insured consents in writing and that written consent demonstrates satisfaction of all the following criteria:

(1) At least 24 hours in advance of care, the insured shall consent in writing to receive services from the identified noncontracting individual health professional.

(2) The consent shall be obtained by the noncontracting individual health professional in a document that is separate from the document used to obtain the consent for any other part of the care or procedure. The consent shall not be obtained by the facility or any representative of the facility. The consent shall not be obtained at the time of admission or at any time when the enrollee is being prepared for surgery or any other procedure.

(3) At the time consent is provided the noncontracting individual health professional shall give the insured a written estimate of the insured’s total out-of-pocket cost of care. The written estimate shall be based on the professional’s billed charges for the service to be provided. The noncontracting individual health professional shall not attempt to collect more than the estimated amount without receiving separate written consent from the insured or the insured’s authorized representative, unless circumstances arise during delivery of services that were unforeseeable at the time the estimate was given that would require the provider to change the estimate.

(4) The consent shall advise the insured that he or she may elect to seek care from a contracted provider or may contact the insured’s insurer in order to arrange to receive the health service from a contracted provider for lower out-of-pocket costs.

(5) The consent and estimate shall be provided to the insured in the language spoken by the insured, if the language is a Medi-Cal threshold language, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 128552 of the Health and Safety Code.

(6) The consent shall also advise the insured that any costs incurred as a result of the insured’s use of the out-of-network benefit shall be in addition to in-network cost-sharing amounts and may not count toward the annual out-of-pocket maximum on in-network benefits or a deductible, if any, for in-network benefits.

(d) A noncontracting individual health professional who fails to comply with provisions of this subdivision has not obtained written consent for purposes of this section. Under those circumstances, subdivisions (a) and (b) shall apply and subdivision (c) shall not apply.

(e) (1) A noncontracting individual health professional may advance to collections only the in-network cost-sharing amount, as determined by the insurer pursuant to subdivision (a) or the out-of-network cost-sharing amount owed pursuant to subdivision (c), that the insured has failed to pay.

(2) The noncontracting individual health professional, or any entity acting on his or her behalf, including any assignee of the debt, shall not report adverse information to a consumer credit reporting agency or commence civil action against the insured for a minimum of 150 days after the initial billing regarding amounts owed by the insured under subdivision (a) or (c).

(3) With respect to an insured, a noncontracting individual health professional, or any entity acting on his or her behalf, including any assignee of the debt, shall not use wage garnishments or liens on primary residences as a means of collecting unpaid bills under this section.

(f) For purposes of this section and Sections 10112.81 and 10112.82, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) “Contracting health facility” means a health facility that is contracted with the insured’s health insurer to provide services under the insured’s policy. A contracting health care facility includes, but is not limited to, the following providers:

(A) A licensed hospital.

(B) An ambulatory surgery or other outpatient setting, as described in subdivision (a), (d), (e), (g), or (h) of Section 1248.1 of the Health and Safety Code.

(C) A laboratory.

(D) A radiology or imaging center.

(2) “Cost sharing” includes any copayment, coinsurance, or deductible, or any other form of cost sharing paid by the insured other than premium or share of premium.

(3) “Individual health professional” means a physician and surgeon or other professional who is licensed by the state to deliver or furnish health care services. For this purpose, an “individual health professional” shall not include a dentist, licensed pursuant to the Dental Practice Act (Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 1600) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code).

(4) “In-network cost-sharing amount” means an amount no more than the same cost sharing the insured would pay for the same covered service received from a contracting health professional. The in-network cost-sharing amount with respect to an insured with coinsurance shall be based on the amount paid by the insurer pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 10112.82.

(5) “Noncontracting individual health professional” means a physician and surgeon or other professional who is licensed by the state to deliver or furnish health care services and who is not contracted with the insured’s health insurance product. For this purpose, a “noncontracting individual health professional” shall not include a dentist, licensed pursuant to the Dental Practice Act (Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 1600) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code). Application of this definition is not precluded by a noncontracting individual health professional’s affiliation with a group.

(g) This section shall not be construed to require an insurer to cover services not required by law or by the terms and conditions of the health insurance policy.

(h) If a health insurer delegates payment functions to a contracted entity, including, but not limited to, a medical group or independent practice association, the delegated entity shall comply with this section.

(i) This section shall not apply to emergency services and care, as defined in Section 1317.1 of the Health and Safety Code.

(Added by Stats. 2016, Ch. 492, Sec. 4. (AB 72) Effective January 1, 2017.)