In the US, how do people go bankrupt from medical bills when most insurance have a max out of pocket?

Question

Just was thinking about this the other day while looking at my insurance. How do people in the U.S. accumulate huge bills without hitting their max out of pockets? Are cancer treatments not usually covered by insurance? Are the doctors that provide the treatment just happening to be out of network?

I guess I’m wondering if there is anyway I can plan to not be in a situation of me or my husband rejecting treatment and dying or having huge medical bills cripple us. We’re relatively healthy now, but the future is near.

I’d like to understand better how it seems to be so *common* for people to not be covered by their out of pocket max.

Thanks.

In: 4623

Answer 1

I was fully covered with an incredibly good insurance plan and a stable job when I got sick. I was admitted to the hospital with a life-threatening condition after going to urgent care and being told I needed to proceed directly to the ER. All of my care was in network. When I was discharged, my insurer deemed the entire stay unnecessary and sent me a bill for almost $40,000.