Everyone in America knows at least a few people who have been hospitalised. In fact, nearly every American has been hospitalised at some point in their life. It should come as a surprise to all of us then, that 1 out of every 6 hospital visits will trigger what is known as a “surprise bill”
The Kaiser Family Foundation, a bipartisan foundation, recently released a report which found that millions of Americans who have what is considered “Solid” coverage will go to the emergency room for treatment and then be exposed to “out of network” fees and charges. These can cost the individuals and families thousands of dollars. Even after the hospital has accepted some money from the individual’s insurance company.
I have personal experience with these surprise bills. At the beginning of 2018, I was experiencing issues relating to a surgery I had received, after visiting an Urgent Care facility inside of a hospital, they sent me straight into the emergency room. On the way there I was assured that it was “in network” and that my insurance would be able to cover my visit.
Fast forward, and my family and I were notified by Intermountain Healthcare that we now owed $1,985.00 for that emergency room visit.
In the following days we contacted our insurance company, finding out that they had paid the amount they always pay for ER visits.
So, why was I facing this nearly $2,000 dollar fee? Because the Emergency Room visit was actually “Out of Network” despite being promised multiple times by the ER and Urgent Care faculty that it was “In Network.”
There is good news, however, for the millions of Americans who face a similar situation to mine:
Next Wednesday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee plans to vote on bipartisan legislation that would limit what patients can be charged to their in-network deductibles and copays. The bill from Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., would require insurers to pay out-of-network doctors and hospitals the median — or midpoint — rate paid to in-network providers. The House Energy and Commerce committee is working on similar legislation. President Donald Trump has said he wants to sign a bill. (According to Associated Press via KSL).
The majority of Americans and insurers support the bill. Hospitals and doctors are opposed and are seeking to fight the legislation back. They instead seek to set up an arbitration system, which is potentially effective but also has potential to create a new, costly, American Bureaucracy.
This is just another part to an ever-growing issue in America, overpriced medical care. From drug pricing to seeing a specialist, I am a supporter of capitalism. These thing require expertise from the men and women in these careers, and they deserve to make money from the important jobs they perform. They should not, however, cause their patients and buyers harm by overcharging for their provided goods.
Those in medical professions swear to live the Hippocratic Oath which simply states in the original version; “First, do no harm,”
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