JLF’s Katherine Restrepo writes that even those who have health insurance may be in for an ugly surprise. Here’s an example of what can happen:
The ER isn’t the only point of entry in the health care system where patients can be exposed to surprise bills. It can also happen after elective surgery. Say, for example, a patient schedules to have their knee replaced. The patient is informed that the surgeon and the hospital are in-network, but has no idea the anesthesiologist isn’t. A few weeks later, the patient is hit with a medical bill for anesthesia at a surprisingly high out-of-network rate. Like emergency physicians, anesthesiologists may also be out-of-network if they aren’t salaried by any hospital.
Find out more about surprise billing.