The New Jersey Statehouse in Trenton, New Jersey The New Jersey Statehouse in Trenton, New Jersey. Photo by Carmen Natale/ALM

New Jersey Senate Bill 1177, which amends the arbitration procedures required under the Out-of-Network Consumer Protection, Transparency, Cost Containment, and Accountability Act, has been signed into law.

The New Jersey Surprise Bill Act enacted in June 2018 sought to enhance consumer protections for New Jersey residents by providing greater transparency and disclosure by health insurance carriers for patients receiving inadvertent, out-of-network emergency care. The law created an arbitration system to resolve out-of-network payment disputes and sought to protect consumers from certain surprise out-of-network bills.