I’m confused.

I had the flu a few months ago. It was the worst flu I’ve ever had. It wasn’t covid—I’ve never tested positive for covid—but it was humming.

For over a week, I was stuck in bed, completely unable to move or do anything.

In order not to die, I visited the hospital emergency room. They did all sorts of tests on me and after 5 hours they said I had the flu and could go home.

It was nice to be confident that all I had to do was let my immune system put up a strong fight for the rest of the week.

When the bills started coming in, they weren’t great, they were over $7,000.

I have decent health insurance through a corporate client who has hired me as an employee on a temporary basis to support a large project, so after the deductible has been met I will collect I borrowed $2,500 or so from what I could.

Months later, I am still in a state of complete disarray and know that it will take hours to figure out how much I owe and who I owe.

And I’m not alone. Millions of Americans are baffled by health insurance policies and, God forbid, the complicated bills they receive when they need medical care.

According to the Portland Press Herald News, medical bills include many hidden charges that drive up the cost of service and there is no continuity between providers.

Some hospitals charge $750 for an MRI, while others charge $3,000 or more for the same service.

According to a survey conducted by Healthcare.com, more than 1 in 4 Americans are overwhelmed by unexpected health care costs.

Not sure about co-pays and deductibles, or between in-network and out-of-network providers?

There are plenty of companies out there, so line up – but there may still be hope for all of us.

In January 2022, the No Surprise Law went into effect. According to MarketWatch, hospitals and healthcare providers should disclose the prices they charge for their services.

The purpose of this action is to prevent patients from being overwhelmed by sudden charges, such as “balance bills” healthinsurance.org often describes.

Differential billing occurs when a patient is billed for the difference between the “retail price” charged by the provider and what the patient’s insurance pays. When some providers charge their patients the difference or the difference, it is called “differential billing.”

In other words, if you have an emergency and get care from an out-of-network provider, you’ll end up with a hefty bill.

But under the No Surprises Act, patients are only responsible for in-network charges.

That’s a good start, but the real problem is that our healthcare system is a mess.

If you don’t have proper health insurance, which is now more expensive, you’ll get a large bill for the care you need.

Now, with all due respect, you have to find out who had the worst flu of your life and how much they owe.