Coping with out-of-network medical bills

Many consumers with private insurance have PPOs that allow them to go to doctors and hospitals not in the health plan’s network. But going out of network, while providing some coverage, can still be a costly alternative. The New York Times’ Patient Money series focuses on how patients can determine — and sometimes lower — out-of-network medical fees. The article also notes that if you use a network hospital for a medical procedure, that doesn’t always mean that every doctor you see is part of the same network.