re: **updated Need advice on how to address ER visit bill

A doctor's job is 1) to fix the patient. That's it. He's not concerned about what some insurance company computer somewhere will later say about it. The cynic in me says that the number 2) job might be to increase revenues!

It is a bizarre, crazy, insanely complicated system we have. There are hundreds of thousands (if not more) health care plans each of which have their own little quirks concerning what and how they pay.

Nothing beyond basic preventive care is clear to the patient until after the fact. Estimates are nonexistent. Prices are insanely inflated (which are then just cut back down either by the insurance contact or by negotiating a cash discount).

Unless you are so wealthy that you don't even need to watch or track your spending, it's a problem for everyone.