Melinda From Illinois Describes Her Experience With Surprise Bills
By Consumers For Quality Care, on August 26, 2019
![Melinda From Illinois Describes Her Experience With Surprise Bills](https://consumers4qualitycare.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Screen-Shot-2019-08-26-at-4.56.19-PM.png)
Melinda from Illinois was diagnosed with breast cancer, and what was sure to be a stressful time for her and her loved ones was made even more stressful as she received high surprise bills as a result of out-of-network providers.
As she was undergoing diagnosis and treatments for breast cancer, Melinda from Illinois made sure her hospital was in-network with her insurance. But only after she received thousands of dollars in surprise bills did she learn that a few of her doctors were not in-network. Even though Melinda was eventually able to track down the owner of the medical billing company and have the surprise bills cleared, the experience left her stressed at a time she needed to be focused on her health.
Melinda from Illinois has a message for her elected officials: make sure all providers at in-network hospitals are in-network as well, and help patients avoid surprise bills.