Surprise medical billing is an issue that has been widespread for a while, but due to social media and more intense scrutiny, we are now seeing the effects of how common this problem is among patients accessing our healthcare system. According to a study by Kaiser “roughly 1 of every 6 emergency room visits and inpatient hospital stays in 2017, patients came home with at least one out-of-network medical bill.” The question is what is surprise medical billing?
Surprise medical bills generally have two components. The first component is the higher amount the patient owes under her health plan, reflecting the difference in cost-sharing levels between in-network and out-of-network services. The second component of surprise medical bills is an additional amount the physician or other provider may bill the patient directly, a practice known as “balance billing.”
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