As many emergency departments operate 24/7, consumers may be surprised when an "after-hours" surcharge is added to their bill, Kaiser Health News contributor Michelle Andrews wrote in the column "Insuring Your Health."
Here are four things to know about hospital ED after-hour fees and who pays for them:
1. The surcharge, which aims to cover the higher cost of staffing the ED at night, is typically less than $100.
2. Hospitals and health plans often negotiate after-hours fees between themselves and don't hold the patient responsible, Richard Gundling, a senior vice president at the Healthcare Financial Management Association, told KHN.
"If it's an in-network provider, an insurer is generally responsible for addressing the billing of that code under its negotiated contract with the providers," Mr. Gundling said.
3. Paul Kivela, MD, a Napa, Calif.-based emergency physician and president of the American College of Emergency Physicians, told KHN adding on an after-hours fee is rare but justifiable because of the extra cost.
4. Medicare beneficiaries do not have to pay the after-hours surcharge, according to the column.