Informed participation in the 2026 midterms can help protect physician practices, patient access, and the future of healthcare policy through the No Surprises Act Enforcement Act.
The No Surprises Act protects patients from unexpected medical bills and establishes an Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) process for payment disputes. Once an IDR decision is final, the law requires timely payment; however, clinicians continue to report delayed or missing post-IDR payments.
This disconnect in the payment can result in practices being forced to devote additional time and resources to collecting payment, which strains cash flow and ultimately diverts staff from patient care.
Lawmakers introduced the No Surprises Act Enforcement Act as H.R. 4710 in the House and S. 2420 in the Senate. The legislation would reinforce existing requirements for insurers to pay amounts they owe after a final IDR determination. This bipartisan legislation would strengthen enforcement and establish meaningful penalties for missing payment deadlines.
The House Ways and Means Committee anticipates a markup before the end of this Congress. This timing creates a critical opportunity to move the legislation forward. Advancing the act would hold insurers accountable to the law. It would also protect physicians’ ability to deliver patient care.
A favorable IDR determination cannot support practice operations until the practice receives payment. Payment delays complicate forecasting and increase follow-up work. They also obscure whether practices face ordinary processing lags or patterns requiring escalation.
Meaningful penalties would give payment deadlines practical weight. They would reinforce that an IDR decision alone does not complete compliance. Insurers complete compliance only when the required payment reaches the physician or practice.
Accountability begins with clear documentation. Practices need to know when a final determination was issued, when payment was expected, what was received, and what remains outstanding. Without this imperative visibility, delays can be difficult to identify and even more difficult to pursue.
Consistent tracking creates documentation that supports payer outreach and helps teams prioritize unresolved accounts. It can also reveal patterns in payer behavior, giving practices a stronger operational foundation for follow-up and broader advocacy efforts.
Zotec’s compliance, revenue integrity, and analytics teams help clients monitor regulatory billing requirements and identify payment delays, variances, and follow-up needs. The visibility ingrained in Zotec’s approach is the exact visibility necessary for practices to document payer behavior, organize supporting information, and pursue amounts owed.
The 2026 midterm elections will determine the full membership of the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate, shaping the next Congress and its approach to federal healthcare policy. Physician reimbursement, prior authorization, affordability, and access to care are among the issues that can directly affect clinicians, practices, and patients.
Participating does not require supporting a particular party or candidate; it means making an informed voice heard. Clinicians and practice leaders can research candidates, understand the healthcare issues, and make a plan to vote. Those interested in stronger post-IDR enforcement can also learn more about H.R. 4710 and S. 2420, while using Zotec’s Election Center to explore why the next Congress matters to healthcare and review the questions shaping the midterms.
By pairing disciplined payment follow-up with informed civic participation, Zotec helps clients protect earned revenue, uphold compliant billing practices, and contribute thoughtfully to the healthcare policies shaping the future of care.
