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And the worst thing is that there’s no way to predict the cost. Even if you go to an ER that’s in network (good luck with that in an emergency), you might be as
by village-idiot 8y ago
And the worst thing is that there’s no way to predict the cost. Even if you go to an ER that’s in network (good luck with that in an emergency), you might be assigned an out of network doctor and be charged out of network prices
- taurath 8y agoWorse - you can get a bill in the mail later for some out of network doctor who looked at a chart without ever interacting with you, in addition to the hospitals charge.
- xvf22 8y agoYup, or a bill from an out of network doctor that consulted while you were under or generally unaware [0] [0] https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/us/drive-by-doctoring-surprise-medical-bills.html https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/us/drive-by-doctoring-sur...
- maxerickson 8y agoMy favorite is that the hospital will use the external consultation to charge more for the visit.
- olliej 8y agoRecruitment fee for the out of network you didn’t ask for!
- benmorris 8y agoWe've had 2 children in the last 4 years and this concept was foreign to me. Our 2nd child we were billed for an out of network anesthesiologist at an in network hospital. Several thousand dollars in total, I called the insurance after reading online a bit about it. Eventually they said they would "resubmit" the claim for reconsideration. A few weeks later we got an EOB showing we didn't have to pay any of it. The whole experience we shocking to me, I can't imagine dealing with this sort of thing on a regular basis. Even worse is receiving bills from various providers up to a year later. How are these people still in business?
- village-idiot 8y agoRegulatory capture.
- redler 8y agoAnesthesiology is a particularly pathological case, so to speak. You don't choose your anesthesiologist; it's the medical equivalent of a (very important and highly-paid) back-office function. So you've chosen an in-network hospital and an in-network surgeon? Surprise! You may also discover, months later, that your chart was read, while you were sleeping, by an out-of-network physician on call. Surprise! The American system is literally (literally literally) unsustainable.
- wonderwonder 8y agoHow could they go out of business? Any time they need money they can just go through patient records and charge for anything they feel like with very little statute of limitations. Its a license to print money at the expense of those that can least afford it.
- fma 8y agoYep...I got an email last week for something for my daughter's birth...which 2 years ago. It was charged to an insurance I no longer have. I met deductible that year so everything was covered and it says I'm paying $0. They could lie about the some missing cost and I wouldn't know where to begin disputing it. If I don't successfully dispute it, it goes to collections and hurts my credit. Is my time worth disputing a $500 bill (it I had to pay it?). It's a lose lose situation.