You are admitted into the hospital and find out the hospital IS in your health care insurance coverage network and the costs incurred by your hospital stay are, in fact, covered by your health insurance plan. However, when you leave the hospital you start getting billed for thousands upon thousands of dollars you thought was being paid for by your health insurance when you scheduled surgery at the hospital.
What you did not find out, and what everyone at the hospital neglected to tell you is, yes, the hospital charges were covered and paid for by your health insurance but the doctors, surgeons and other specialists who treated you were NOT in your health insurance network of care providers so now you owe enough money to these doctors that can and will bankrupt you!
And yes, these doctors will start sending bill collectors after you. This will ruin your credit if you do not pay them and they will take you to court to get their money if u cannot work out some kind of pay plan to pay off this huge debt! Whoever treats you at the hospital always make sure their services are also “in network” and paid for by your health insurance plan.
SUPPLEMENTAL SOURCE: CONSUMER REPORTS MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2014