Research Briefs
Date of this Version
3-4-2019
Abstract
Today, you often hear stories of patients who visit an in-network hospital and still receive a large medical bill because one or more providers involved in their care was out-of-network. Although this phenomenon of “surprise billing” has become common, no research has examined how consumers respond to surprise bills and alter their health-seeking behavior. In our new study in Health Affairs, we investigate how mothers respond to receiving a surprise medical bill after delivering their first child. We find that patients respond to surprise medical bills the same way they respond to bad meals at restaurants: by switching to another facility the next time they need services. Mothers who received a surprise out-of-network bill for their first delivery had 13% greater odds of switching hospitals for their second delivery compared to those who did not get a surprise bill.
Document Type
Brief
Number
49
See Original Study
https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05399
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords
Surprise medical bills, labor and delivery, consumer response
View On LDI Website
https://ldi.upenn.edu/brief/consumers-responses-surprise-medical-bills-elective-situations
Citation For This Study
Chartock, B., Garmon, C., & Schutz, S. (2019). Consumers’ Responses To Surprise Medical Bills In Elective Situations. Health Affairs, 38(3), 425-430.
Date Posted: 29 March 2019