[kevinofe]

The CA law is kind of BS. My partner went to see doc, they ran a few tests, told her it would probably be covered by insurance and then we got a bill for $1700. They said it wasn't "surprise" bill because it wasn't out of network. I told them "it is a surprise to us!"

From then on, we always ask the cost of every single test/procedure. (In fairness to the hospital, they did give us a $50/month, interest free payment plan.)

[mcshicks]

Yeah I agree the name is misleading and it doesn't cover all situations. My specific situation both times was ER rooms with out of network doctors, but I agree that there can be many other situations where the law is not that helpful. My personal opinion is those would be better managed by a single payer system like they have in many other countries. I haven't looked at the federal law close enough to know if it covers cases other than out of network doctors.