

Many surprise medical bills come from emergency visits. Another occurrence is when a provider charges the patient for the difference between the total cost of services and what the patient’s insurance paid out. Patients can incur surprise medical bills in a variety of ways, such as when they receive care from out-of-network hospitals, doctors, or other providers they did not choose. While these unexpected costs vary, the average can range from $750 to $2,600.ĭjols // Shutterstock What is a surprise medical bill? Emergency scenarios like calling an ambulance or landing in the ER can result in surprise medical bills when the providers are outside a patient’s insurance network. This means a patient was fully or partially billed for care they believed was covered by their insurance. Thirty percent of adults with health insurance received an unexpected medical bill within the last two years, according to a 2020 analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The financial implications of health care kept nearly half of respondents from seeking medical care, according to a 2020 Harris Poll survey completed on behalf of the American Heart Association. One in three Americans reported being “very worried” about incurring these surprise medical costs. worry about additional health care costs that they don’t know about. Insta_photos // Shutterstock What the ban on surprise medical bills means for youįor many patients navigating America’s health care system, costly medical bills are expected, so it’s no surprise that roughly two in three adults in the U.S.
