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Comment by Agrue8u | Hacker News Reader

I haven't watched the video, but just wanted to say my family has insurance (in USA), with $7,000 deductible & $14,000 out of pocket family maximum. That of course assumes that we won't get balance billed for whatever bureaucratic reason the medical provider comes up with. For example: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/02/28/1159786...

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I believe the recent No Suprises Act no longer allows balance billing for emergency care or when an out-of-network provider is working at an in-network facility.

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-surprise-...

True! It eliminated balance billing for almost everything except for land ambulances.

Got a $2,200 ambulance bill for taking my daughter 6 miles that was balance billed last year after insurance paid $600. Don’t know how land ambulances in particular managed to avoid being covered by the act, but just something to keep in mind if you have a non-critical injury and don’t need an ambulance.

> Don’t know how land ambulances in particular managed to avoid being covered by the act

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/22/upshot/ground-ambulances-...

Some progress is better than none. Hopefully ambulances can be added in the future. One thing though I heard is ambulance services in rural area are barely solvent so just eliminating balance billing may put them under. Not sure if a better approach to funding is taxes or have insurance cover it.

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