I have to respectfully disagree with JMO. My insurance states in our booklet that if we go to an out of network facility (when the services are available in an in network facility) we pay a 2000 dollar penalty and are responsible for 75% of the charges. This is for either a hospital or outpatient surgery facility.
Now the hospital that I had my surgery charged 48,000. My in network negotiated price was 16,000.
Had I gone outside the network I could have potentially been responsible for 38,000 assuming the out of network facility charged the same charges as my hospital charged.
That's a pretty good chunk of change.
Some facilities will only charge what a contract price would be whether you are in or out of network. Still if your insurance makes you pay a percentage of that fee it can still be pretty steep. In my case it would have been 75% of 16,000 plus the 2,000 dollar penalty making my out of pocket 14,000.
You definitely need to know the requirements for your monetary responsibility in regards to YOUR insurance.
Myra
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Let me tell you the SECRET that WILL lead me to my GOAL: my STRENGTH lies solely in my TENACITY. (adapted from Louis Pasteur) "Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did. SHE JUST DID IT BACKWARDS AND IN HIGH HEELS" Former Texas Governor Ann Richards Surgery 5/19/2006 Dr. Louis Fox http://www.lapband4u.com/ Medical City of Dallas Hospital | 