You may be paying for surprise medical bills – even if you weren't the patient

+ we found the world's southernmost tree US Edition - Today's top story: Surprise medical bills increase costs for everyone, not just for the people who get them [View in browser]( US Edition | 1 October 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair Close to one in five insured patients treated at U.S. emergency rooms still gets a surprise bill from an out-of-network doctor, such as the anesthesiologist or pathologist. The costs can be crushing for the patient – and it turns out we all pay the price. New research from the University of Southern California details [just how much those surprise bills add to the cost of everyone’s health insurance premiums](, and how policymakers could fix the system. Also today: - [How McConnell’s calculated audacity remade the federal judiciary]( - [Three previous pandemics that reshaped society]( - [What it means to be a patriot, according to an ethicist]( Stacy Morford General Assignments Editor About 12% of insurers’ U.S. spending on in- and out-of-network medical care goes to six types of providers that commonly submit surprise bills. Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images [Surprise medical bills increase costs for everyone, not just for the people who get them]( Erin Duffy, University of Southern California; Erin Trish, University of Southern California; Loren Adler, University of Southern California Surprise medical bills have led to financial pain and suffering on top of whatever ailed a patient in the first place. A recent study shows that the practice drives up costs for everyone. 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