Dan GillmorEven if you have good health insurance, hospitals "in your network" have a scam whereby doctors not in your network treat you -- and you're on the hook for megabucks.
It should be flatly illegal to do this.
Keith J Chouinard 
@dangillmor My mom passed on in the spring. I have gotten 2 letters since then mailed to her asking for donations for their foundation. She was retired and on medicaid and a small fixed income. She passed on in their hospital never mind. Why are they asking for donations from people on medicaid and why are they asking people who are no longer alive. WTH - So disrespectful.
Unprecedented 2023@KeithJChouinard @dangillmor My goes is that who or which section in the hospital is sending out those letters probably do not have any of the information except she was admitted and discharged.
Jonathan Greene@dangillmor be mindful of programs that take your brand of insurance but not the flavor of the plan that comes from the exchange … especially when the names are remarkably similar.
Frischa@dangillmor federal law now prohibits balance billing in that circumstance.
Shoq 🌿@dangillmor I am right now going through a similar thing, over a much smaller amount of money, but I am fighting them on principle. I am being billed for a device supplied by an out-of-network durable device vendor, and they (meekly) claim that a flurry (of totally unread) documents I signed on my way into surgery allowed this.
Bullshit. I've threatened to sue over it, and they're "considering my request for exemption." I don't want an exemption; I want such predatory practices ended.
Bill Allison@dangillmor is this prior to this month or is there a loophole in the No Surprises Act?
@bill I don't know.
@dangillmor (and sorry I just realized that went into effect Jan 2022).
Phillip Winn@dangillmor Texas state law prohibits this for plans that are vetted by the Texas Department of Insurance. Federal law applies more recently, too:
https://www.texmed.org/surprise/
If you work for an out-of-state company remotely, as I do, not so much.
Lunatech@dangillmor I thought it WAS illegal to do that now - didn't the "No Surprise Billing Act (or something to that effect) recently come into force? They were talking about it on the news last year and basically it was intended to prohibit exactly the sort of thing you describe. Did I hallucinate that?
Savah Rellcast@dangillmor there is no healthcare in America, only health muggings.
Óscar Morales Vivó@dangillmor they did pass laws against it IIRC they went into effect last year…
From my experience it seems like instead of sending you a $20k bill they send you a $2k bill or however much is low enough to make it not worth getting a lawyer.
April@dangillmor 100%. Happens a lot in mental health care in particular.
Camille Tschaggeny@dangillmor - Probably worth a dishonorable mention to the Catholic Church in this scam, they aren’t leaving all that cash to the Rick Scott’s of the world.
Joe Philip@dangillmor
Yet another example of why we need Medicare For All and need to eliminate private insurance.
Yet another example of why we need Medicare For All and need to eliminate private insurance.
@stevewfolds@dangillmor
A few Medicare supplemental gap insurance plans have out of network coverage, ie “F” plans.
Insurance linked to specific hospital chains sometimes sometimes find drastic limits at state lines.
A few Medicare supplemental gap insurance plans have out of network coverage, ie “F” plans.
Insurance linked to specific hospital chains sometimes sometimes find drastic limits at state lines.
Kenneth John Bardsley@dangillmor
The whole American 'health-care' system operates on corruption and lick-backs, which is why it is so colossally expensive and also ineffective in many ways.
The whole American 'health-care' system operates on corruption and lick-backs, which is why it is so colossally expensive and also ineffective in many ways.
Evan Light@dangillmor How did we get this way? Our medical system is caveat emptor, full of information asymmetry designed to extract large sums from people who need help.
We call it healthcare but where did the care go?
Dr James J TeethAnd to think that prior to ACA access to affordable healthcare in America was worse than it is now. We really need single payer healthcare.
Woodchaz@dangillmor
Yup. Contract ER doctors. They pulled that on me.
Yup. Contract ER doctors. They pulled that on me.