when you're covered by a ppo and seek care outside of your insurer's network you face higher costs. out-of-network providers don't hold a contract with your insurer so the sky's the limit in terms of what they can charge. you say you received your insurer's discount -- i would just confirm the network status of the providers you used and that the full discount has been applied. also is it possible the you're left with higher out-of-pocket costs because you haven't yet met your deductible? check that as well. then do some research on your own to see if you can negotiate a better price. your insurer may have a cost calculator that will help you determine average costs for a particular service in your area. if that's not available check fair health a medical cost look-up site that can help you determine if the price the physician and/or center charged is in line with what others in your area charge for the same service. you'll punch in your zip code and the procedure you received (if you have the cpt or procedural code that's best) and you'll see common charges for the service you received in your area. if the cost of your care is way off base contact the providers to let them know what you've found and try to negotiate for a better price. also pay attention to how your insurer reimburses. with a ppo many insurers have altered the level at which they reimburse for out-of-network care. some now pay medicare-based fees which results in a lower level of reimbursement for you. i cover that on the health reform 101 blog. you can read more about that here.
i got $805 bill (cigna ppo insurance paid nothing) for epidural injection for l5-s1 disc herniation. is it normal cost? . hi there . i have a question if i get a high bill and what can i do about it. thanks in advance. so i have disc herniation in l5-s1 and was taking a epidural injection from a anesthetist at a surgical center. the block does not reduce too much pain after two weeks; but this is not the question i have here. . today i got the bill of $805 (anesthetist $200 and surgical center $600). this is after the discount with my cigna ppo insurance. to be clear i listed the