Law protecting healthcare patients against hidden costs set to go into effect on Jan. 1

WASHINGTON (WLS) -- Americans will have one less healthcare bill to deal with next year after a new law goes into effect.

The "No Surprises Act" will ban most unexpected medical charges from out of network providers beginning in the New Year.

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When the bill goes into effect in 2022, patients who did not choose certain doctors or hospitals which are out of their network will be protected against unexpected charges.

Federal estimates have predicted that the bill will apply to about 10 million surprise bills per year.

That new law is set to go into effect this weekend on Saturday, Jan. 1.