New York curbs surprise billing

As medical providers have experienced declining revenues over the last decade or so, some have turned to various ways of recouping lost revenues. One practice that has garnered attention in the last year has been the practice of balance billing for out-of-network providers. Earlier in the year, media outlets have reported on people being surprised by out-of-network bills, even after they verified that their places of medical care accept their insurance plans.

Such practices fly against purchasing conventions: in what other industries do customers routinely find out how much they owe only after the procedure has been done? Earlier, New York passed legislation to prevent patients from being saddled with these surprised bills and now, their attorney general has gone after four urgent care center chains to get them to clarify whether they would be considered in-network for the plans listed on their websites. Apparently, some centers had depicted themselves as accepting specific insurance plans, even when they were considered out-of-network by those plans. Hopefully, transaction details like these will be increasingly cleared up so that consumers can more easily make decisions about where to be treated.