Thousands of Texans seeking government help with surprise medical bills were hit with another shock last year: a clogged-up consumer protection bureaucracy. A massive backlog that began last summer left state regulators unable to provide timely help to the thousands of Texans who requested mediation from the TDI. Surprise medical bills, or balance bills, result when insurers and health care providers can’t agree on the price of a medical treatment, leaving the patient to make up any costs the insurer won’t pay. The problem is particularly acute in Texas, where one in three emergency room admissions results in a surprise bill — nearly twice the national average, according to the Texas Association of Health Plans.
Read Article: Texas Tribune
From the Texas Trial Lawyers Association news release.
