Costs soar as emergencies are billed "out of network"

Out-of-network emergency care has received more attention in recent years due to a growing trend: hospital-based doctors refusing to accept insurance. If an Independence Blue Cross member receives care for an emergency from an out-of-network provider, that member's cost share will typically be at the in-network level. But not all Pennsylvania's Blue plans work that way. That a Blue Cross member could be billed as out-of-network by a provider who accepts other Blue Cross plans isn't unusual, said Thomas Getzen, a professor in risk, insurance and health care management at Temple's Fox School of Business.
March 2, 2011 | Bucks County Courier Times