One third of fully insured patients have received a balance bill in the past two years, according to one study. The majority of them ended up paying it in full, meaning they bear the cost of insurance carriers' and providers' inability to figure out what a “fair rate” means.

This huge financial burden on American families has reached crisis mode, and legislators have proposed two main solutions for protecting patients from balance bills. On the surface, these solutions may look like they protect patients, but both ultimately fail to address the core issue.

Open Enrollment is the 1-2 week period prior to the start of the plan where you’re able to choose between different coverage options your employer is providing, add dependents to your plan, and learn about what’s changing with your health insurance.

One of your first interactions with your new health plan will be an “open enrollment meeting”, where someone who’s an expert in your health coverage comes to explain the plan(s) and answer questions. DON’T SKIP THESE! This is your chance to learn how to save money on next year’s plan and what support resources are available to you. To help you make the most of these meetings, these are the five questions everyone should ask at open enrollment.

You know that Reference Based Pricing is a great cost containment tool- if done right, we’ve seen huge savings. But there’s a lot of misconceptions out there about RBP, and that can make trying to have a real conversation about as frustrating as fighting the Black Knight.