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No Surprises Act

The No Surprises Act protects consumers who get coverage through their employer (including a federal, state, or local government), through the Health Insurance Marketplace® or directly through an individual health plan, beginning January 2022. These rules:

  • Ban surprise billing for emergency services. Emergency services, even if they're provided out-of-network, must be covered at an in-network rate without requiring prior authorization.
  • Ban balance billing and out-of-network cost-sharing (like out-of-network co-insurance or copayments) for emergency and certain non-emergency services. In these situations, the consumer's cost for the service cannot be higher than if these services were provided by an in-network provider, and any coinsurance or deductible must be based on in-network provider rates.
  • Ban out-of-network charges and balance billing for ancillary care (like an anesthesiologist or assistant surgeon) by out-of-network providers at an in-network facility.
  • Ban certain other out-of-network charges and balance billing without advance notice. Health care providers and facilities must provide consumers with a plain-language consumer notice explaining that patient consent is required to get care on an out-of-network basis before that provider can bill the consumer.

For consumers who don't have insurance, these rules make sure they'll know how much their health care will cost before they get it, and might help them if they get a bill that's larger than expected.

The rules don't apply to people with coverage through programs like Medicare, Medi-Cal, Indian Health Services, Veterans Affairs Health Care, or TRICARE because these programs have other protections against high medical bills.
No Surprises Act – Disclosure Notice

No Surprises Act – Good Faith Estimate Notice for Uninsured and Self-pay Patients

 

Healthcare Equity Advisory Council (HEAC)

The HEAC is a new Health Care Agency Advisory Council that will be comprised of 8 community members at large and 7 Health Care Agency staff, each appointed to two or three-year terms.

HEAC Purpose

The purpose of HEAC is to establish a working group, that meets no less than quarterly, of healthcare subject matter experts and community stakeholders to advocate for equity for historically underserved communities. The Council will convene to evaluate the delivery of healthcare services for underserved populations, including allocation of resources and personnel practices, and recommend strategies for improvement where gaps are identified.

The implementation of HEAC is one example of a direct-action item stemming from the Ventura County Board of Supervisors (BOS) adopting a resolution on November 10, 2020, declaring racism a public health crisis and making a commitment to promote equity, inclusion, diversity in housing, employment, economic development, public safety, and health care in the County of Ventura.

View the HEAC Charter - English | Spanish and Board of Supervisors Resolution

Membership

Agency Members:

  • Barry Zimmerman
  • John Fankhauser
  • Theresa Cho
  • Rigoberto Vargas
  • Kristina Swaim
  • Scott Gilman

Community Members:

  • Liz Diaz-Querol
  • Kimberly Kelley
  • Juana Zaragoza
  • Kimberly Cofield
  • Emily Bridges
  • Hugo Tapia
  • Alejandra Valencia

Have public comments or questions for HEAC?
Contact staff at heaccouncil@ventura.org

Meetings

  • Regular meetings are open to the public and held the third Tuesday of every other month from 5:30 pm-7:00 pm in the Large Conference Room, VC Public Health Administration 2240 E Gonzales Rd., Suite 200, Oxnard, CA 93036.

Upcoming Agendas & Meeting Materials

Past Agendas & Meeting Materials

Minutes

 

 

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Patient iPads

This iPad is the property of Ventura County Healthcare Agency and will only work on the premises. We're providing it for use to make your hospital stay easier. Please use it for communication with your physicians and nurses, as well as your family, during your hospital stay. There are a number of applications installed for relaxation and entertainment as well.

Your medical providers may ask you to join a "Doxy.me" waiting room to have a video telehealth visit. When you are instructed to prepare for the visit, please click one of the links below, based on your current location.

In order to do a Telehealth visit, you'll need to provide verbal consent of understanding of the risks and benefits of telehealth and confidentiality.

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