patient bills

Brenna Kearney plays with her daughter, Joey, at home in Chicago. When Kearney was pregnant, she developed a rare type of preeclampsia and had to undergo an emergency cesarean section. Joey was discharged after a 36-day stay in the NICU.

A baby spent 36 days at an in-network hospital. Why did her parents get a huge bill?

Harris Meyer

A family had more than $12,000 in medical bills they couldn't explain after their baby was delivered early. It turns out the doctors who cared for her worked at a different, out-of-network hospital.

Dhaval Bhatt plays Monopoly with his children, Rhidya (left) and Martand, at their home in St. Peters, Missouri. Martand's mother took him to a children's hospital in April after he burned his hand, and the bill for the emergency room visit was more than $1,000 — even though the child was never seen by a doctor.

Health News Florida

The doctor didn't show up, but the hospital ER still billed $1,012

Noam Levey

A toddler burned his hand on the stove. The pediatrician told mom over the phone to take him to the emergency room. But after a long wait for a doctor who never showed, they left. Then the bill came.

When Caitlin Wells Salerno and Jon Salerno's first son, Hank, was born, his delivery cost the family only $30. Gus' bill came in at more than $16,000, all told — including the $2,755 ER charge. The family was responsible for about $3,600 of the total.

Health News Florida

A hospital hiked the price of a routine childbirth by calling it an 'emergency'

Rae Ellen Bichell

Obstetrical emergency departments are a new aspect of some hospitals that can inflate medical bills for even the easiest, healthiest births. Just ask baby Gus' parents about their $2,755 ER charge.

The No Surprises Act is intended to stop surprise medical bills. It could also slow the growth of health insurance premiums.

Health News Florida

Here's what the new ban on surprise medical billing means for you

Julie Appleby

The No Surprises Act says patients can't get hit with pricey, unexpected medical bills. Some experts say the regulation could also slow the growth of health insurance premiums.