Summary
A mother in Missouri faced difficulties when her health insurance company couldn't agree on a contract with her hospital, making her family's doctors out-of-network. This contract dispute forced her to consider expensive options for her daughter's necessary specialist appointments while she looked for solutions.
Key Facts
- Amber Wingler, from Columbia, Missouri, faced an insurance issue when Anthem dropped her local hospital, MU Health Care, from its network.
- The contract dispute meant that most of Wingler's family doctors were now out-of-network.
- Out-of-network care typically costs more, leading to higher out-of-pocket expenses.
- Wingler's 8-year-old daughter, Cora, needs specialist care, but the available in-network options are over 120 miles away.
- Over 650 hospitals in the U.S. have had public disputes with insurers since 2021.
- These disputes may increase as hospitals face significant federal health care spending cuts.
- Patients often have limited options during such disputes and may need to find financial assistance or alternative care arrangements.
