Bill of the Month

Watch: What Happens When Car and Health Insurance Collide

“CBS This Morning,” in collaboration with KHN and NPR, tells the story of Mark Gottlieb, a marketing consultant in Little Ferry, New Jersey, who faced more than $700,000 in medical bills after surgery on his spine. Gottlieb was injured in a car accident, and, despite having the maximum amount of personal injury protection in his car insurance policy, his medical bills exceeded it. His health insurance could not help much, because his surgeon was out-of-network. In an interview with Anthony Mason of CBS, KHN Editor-in-Chief Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal describes some of the pitfalls accident victims can try to avoid as they seek care.

Mark Gottlieb’s life changed after a devastating car accident. He had smashed teeth, four damaged vertebrae and surgery on his spine ― which led to medical bills that exhausted the personal injury coverage in his auto insurance. (Erica Seryhm Lee for KHN)

After Accident, Patient Crashes Into $700,000 Bill for Spine Surgery

Generous personal injury coverage on your car policy may not be enough to cover medical bills. Patients can get financially blindsided when auto insurance and health insurance policies differ.

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