New federal regulations mandated by the Affordable Care Act will give patients new rights to appeal claims denials made by their health plans. The rules, which were announced on July 22, will allow consumers in new health plans to appeal decisions both through their insurer’s internal process and to an outside, independent entity. While most health plans already provide for an internal appeals process, not all offer an external review of plan decisions, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The types of appeals processes often depend on individual state laws.
