Quick question, I am almost a month post-op, and I just received a bill from the Anesthesiologist for $850. I was told up front what to expect, as far as out of pocket expenses, I met my deductible and max out of pocket with my insurance provider (Humana) prior to surgery. Then, I receive this bill for $850 yesterday, and the bill says that insurance was billed, insurance paid $850, leaving me with the remaining portion, of $850. After some checking, I learn that the Anesthesiologist is out of network (as are most), and therefore I am stuck with the bill.

What recourse do I have? After all the co-pays, and deductible prior to surgery, I am maxed out on credit and have wiped out the savings.

Feels like highway robbery, to be told what to expect and then have this bill arrive. Fleeced!

This is unfortunately something that happens frequently. You make sure your surgeon etc is in your plan but not things like anesthesia.

Also, if you are hospitalized you need to make sure that if they want another physician to see you that you make sure they are covered by insurance.

As far as I know the only thing you can do is a payment plan.

This is one of the protections with an H M O plan - we can't be balance-billed like this. I think a payment plan is the only way to solve this. I'm sorry!

Set up a payment plan, that is all you can do.

Thanks y'all. Wish they would disclose this stuff prior to surgery. I pulled up my account for my insurance provider, and found that there is another $200 bill in review, for another out-of-network thing, that was marked "pathology". Guess I will be stuck with some of that bill as well. Unbelievable!

Thanks again for the responses!

Quick question, I am almost a month post-op, and I just received a bill from the Anesthesiologist for $850. I was told up front what to expect, as far as out of pocket expenses, I met my deductible and max out of pocket with my insurance provider (Humana) prior to surgery. Then, I receive this bill for $850 yesterday, and the bill says that insurance was billed, insurance paid $850, leaving me with the remaining portion, of $850. After some checking, I learn that the Anesthesiologist is out of network (as are most), and therefore I am stuck with the bill.

What recourse do I have? After all the co-pays, and deductible prior to surgery, I am maxed out on credit and have wiped out the savings.

Feels like highway robbery, to be told what to expect and then have this bill arrive. Fleeced!

Now idk where you'll stand morally on this avenue but you can try to write a letter of hardship to their billing department. My mother had to write one years back after my dad's open heart surgery. The bills flurried in and he was off work for some time after the procedure. Basically she wrote a letter laying out her financial situation, told them what little she could pay and that paying the entire balance would bankrupt them.

They forgave a few thousand dollars.

Yeah, I was told my bill would be $250.00 and a $1600.00 program plan. "Don't worry everything is covered. We are your preferred hospital." That was $3772.00 ago. There was a lot of things that were not covered by that co-pay that no one told me about.

I too had to pay for anesthesia because they were "out of network". Really ticks me off because I specifically had surgery at a hospital and with a surgeon in network! I had to pay the anesthesia bill. Thankfully it was only $350. But still....

You can call your insurance company and explain that you were misled, and ask them to pay the claims as if they were in the network. If they decline, ask to speak to a supervisor. If they also decline, write a complaint letter to the insurance company asking for their help in resolving the situation.