If you’re not dying, you may have to pay for your ED visit, says Anthem insurance

In 2018, Anthem insurance company expanded its policy of refusing to reimburse patients for Emergency Department visits later deemed not an emergency. While ED use for non-emergencies can be wasteful, Anthem has taken this policy to the extreme, not just refusing reimbursements for ED visits for a cold, but denying payments for ED visits for alarming symptoms. This puts patients in the position of having to decide whether or not their excruciating pain or difficulty breathing are real medical emergencies. If patients choose wrong, they may get stuck with an outrageously expensive ED bill, or worse, avoid going to the ED when it’s a real emergency.

SOURCES: Michael Hiltzik, The Los Angeles Times; Sarah Kliff, Vox

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