The narrative is accurate.

There are many, many, many examples of people who go to a hospital and ask at every point whether the services being provided are "in-network" for their insurance company, and yet still find themselves being billed for "out-of-network" services because of some assistant to a doctor or someone who was consulted outside the patient's presence. It's a minefield, even for people with patience and a clear head, which doesn't describe the majority of people seeking medical care.

A quick search turns up a few examples: - http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2019-01-20/wondering-... - https://www.consumerreports.org/health-insurance/states-work... - https://www.prlog.org/12766040-hbma-adopts-policy-framework-...

This is a very common issue, so common it is receiving legislative attention.

Everyone agrees that this is a problem. The debate is about how to solve the problem. One side says, "the government should just make our decisions for us." The other side says, "the government should intervene enough so that consumers have the information they need to make informed decisions on their own."

Everyone agrees that this is a problem... apparently excepting the commenter to whom I was responding.

Oversimplifications don't serve anyone, and mischaracterizations are unhelpful and unwelcome.