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Imagine receiving a hospital bill for tens of thousands of dollars despite having the best health insurance you can afford. This scenario happens to even the most diligent health care consumers more than you’d think. Often, the culprit is balance billing, which occurs when patients are charged for the difference between what a provider charges and what the insurance will pay. It often happens after a hospitalization, where insurance covers most services, with the exception of one doctor. ... Here’s how you can defend yourself from balance billing or avoid it in the first place. (Glover, 9/23)

Choosing health insurance for a family used to be easier, with fewer options and fewer households where parents were each covered by their own workplace plans instead of picking a joint one. But now more and more families must make a choice at every open enrollment period about how to cover the kids due to the advent of surcharges and exclusions for covering spouses who have the option of their own workplace insurance. (Pinsker, 9/22)