The $2,000+ question: are your surgeons, anesthesiologists and their assistants all covered under your insurance? If not, watch out.
Americans are facing jaw-dropping surprise medical bills at alarming rates, even when their doctor is in-network, new research suggests.
The study looked at patients who received a surprise bill after having one of seven common elective operations “by an in-network primary surgeon at an in-network facility,” between 2012 and 2017. An in-network provider means one that accepts the patient’s health insurance. Chhabra advises patients protect themselves from surprise bills by finding out before their surgery whether everyone who is treating them is covered by their insurance. This includes anesthesiologists and assistants.
Lawmakers are working on several plans to alleviate health-related expenses In 2019, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to mandate hospitals to publicly display their prices. On Monday, the House Ways and Means Committee introduced the Consumer Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2020. The bill calls on insurers and providers to settle disputes through arbitration.It would also require insurance companies to provide patients with a breakdown of their explanation of benefits, including indicating the network status of providers at least one business day in advance.
“Within the mediation process, since the median in-network rate is the only consideration listed, the ACS is concerned that it will become the de facto payment rate,” the letter states. “Federal rating could lead to access problems,” Hoyt told MarketWatch.
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