Following media attention, $20K hospital bill lowered to $200

Media spotlighting of extraordinarily high hospital bills can pay off for patients on the hook for thousands of dollars after a hospital visit. Such is the case for one San Francisco resident who was stuck with a bill for more than $20,000—after her insurance paid its part—following a bicycle accident.

Nina Dang was treated at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital last April after the accident, and the hospital bill she later received revealed the broader, aggressive billing practices of the medical center, which is the largest public hospital in San Francisco. Surprisingly, the hospital––which was renamed after Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave a $75 million donation––does not contract with any private insurance provider, Vox uncovered.

That leaves patients who have private insurance with out-of-network bills if they receive services at Zuckerberg General, and about one-third of all ambulances in the city bring patients there. Vox’s reporting on Dang’s medical bill drew national attention and resulted in a dramatic reduction in the final outstanding bill––to just $200, or the regular co-payment for emergency room use under her insurance plan.

The reduction in Dang's bill is not the first time media attention has led a hospital to change its mind about what patients owe. A bill that exceeded $100,000 for a patient who received care for a heart attack was dramatically reduced after it was spotlighted by NPR in 2018.

The report also prompted the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to plan hearings on Zuckerberg General’s billing practices, Vox reported. The story was part of Vox’s ongoing investigations into hospital billing practices.

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