Wisconsin No Surprises Act

Wisconsin No Surprises Act

Wisconsin patients shouldn't pay the price when insurance companies refuse to pay their fair share.

When you call 911, you don't shop for an ambulance. You need help. But Wisconsin's current system gives insurance companies too much control over what they pay for emergency ambulance service, creating problems for both patients and the EMS providers who answered the call.

Big Insurance decides what to pay for emergency ambulance care. Wisconsin patients and the EMS providers who answered the call are left with whatever it refuses.

Keep Me Informed

The Problem

How it works, and where it breaks.

  1. You call 911

    You need emergency care, not an insurance negotiation.

  2. EMS responds

    The ambulance provider responds and provides needed emergency care.

  3. Big Insurance decides what to pay

    That's where Wisconsin's system breaks down.

  4. You get a surprise bill

    Patient receives a surprise bill for what Big Insurance refuses to pay.

Wisconsin law gives insurance companies the final say, and no standard to meet.

Big Insurance

Why are Wisconsinites being surprised by the decisions of Big Insurance?

Wisconsin needs to join the vast majority of states who have stood up to Big Insurance.

Map of the United States showing that most states have acted, with Wisconsin among the minority that have not.
Wisconsin
No standard
States with protections
A fair, predictable standard

Nothing in Wisconsin law stops an insurance company from paying less than emergency care costs and leaving the patient to cover the difference.

Patients Caught in the Middle

You called 911. You shouldn't get an insurance fight in return.

Wisconsin's system lets insurance companies shortchange patients in a time of need and high anxiety. By denying adequate payment for emergency ambulance care, patients can get caught in the middle.

You paid your premium. You called 911. The ambulance came to help. Your insurance company didn't.

You don't choose your ambulance during a heart attack. Your insurance company shouldn't use that against you afterward.

EMS Providers

EMS providers are getting squeezed too.

Crews, equipment, vehicles, and round-the-clock readiness cost the same whether or not an insurance company pays its share. When insurers underpay, those costs don't disappear. They fall on local communities and on the emergency response system everyone depends on.

  • Crews

    Paramedics and EMTs trained, staffed, and ready.

  • Equipment

    Cardiac monitors, medications, and supplies kept current.

  • Vehicles

    Ambulances maintained, fueled, and replaced on schedule.

  • 24-hour readiness

    A response available every hour of every day, whether or not the call comes.

This is what it costs to keep an ambulance available in your community.

The Solution

Protect patients. Pay EMS fairly. Stop Big Insurance from initiating surprise billing.

Wisconsin can do what other states have already done: take patients out of the middle of a billing dispute they did not choose, and set a fair, predictable standard for what emergency ambulance care is paid.

  • Protect patients

    Take patients out of the middle of a dispute between an insurer and an ambulance provider.

  • Pay EMS fairly

    Set a fair, predictable reimbursement standard for emergency ambulance care.

  • Stop surprise billing

    Stop Big Insurance from initiating surprise bills for emergency ambulance care.

Other states have addressed the problem, and Wisconsin lawmakers can fix it.

I think this is outrageous and Wisconsin should join other states that hold Big Insurance accountable.