Melinda From Illinois Describes Her Experience With Surprise Bills

By Consumers For Quality Care, on August 26, 2019

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.