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Medical insurance only covers treatment from specific medical practitioners, of which an entire hospital may contain a wide array of medical practitioners under
by SolaceQuantum 7y ago
Medical insurance only covers treatment from specific medical practitioners, of which an entire hospital may contain a wide array of medical practitioners under and also not under any specific patient's insurance company. Having a routine surgery from a surgeon that is covered can still rack up an intense medical bill from an anesthesiologist who is not covered.
Similarly, if the insurance company for any reason disputes a hospital claim for any reason, up to and including disagreeing with the hospital that the issued treatment was appropriate in lieu of a cheaper treatment, the hospital goes to the patient to foot the bill.
So it is entirely possible to be fully insured and still be forced into unpayable medical debt through factors completely outside of one's control.
- elliekelly 7y ago> So it is entirely possible to be fully insured and still be forced into unpayable medical debt through factors completely outside of one's control. It's frustrating to me that this point is very often overlooked in the discussions about health insurance in the US. A lot of people who go bankrupt over medical bills are fully insured and suffer for reasons entirely beyond their control like the hospital an ambulance decides to route them to when they're unconscious.
- jotm 7y agoWhich sometimes makes me wonder, why pay for insurance at all? Sure sounds like a racket, "pay us and you may get into medical debt, don't pay us and we'll make sure that you do"
- SolaceQuantum 7y agoPrecisely because "pay us and you may get into medical debt, don't pay us and we'll make sure that you do".
- gnopgnip 7y agoThis depends on the state. Many states have passed surprise billing laws, and limit what an out of network provider can charge