Oral Surgeon asking for much more that I was told services would cost

[jessicaholmes83]

I had to have a tooth pulled in Sep. 2011. My dentist referred me to a local oral surgeon because my "insurance covered it". I went to the oral surgeon and they gave me a hand written copy stating that I wouldn't be paying but about $25 (which is the only reason I went ahead with it). Later, I get a bill from them for $915! I called my insurance & found out this oral surgeon wasn't even in network. I have spoken to the financial lady at their office & she wasn't helpful at all. My credit is about to be messed up from it too. What am I legally able to do, if anything?

 

[Proserpina]

Did you check with your insurance provider before you had the procedure?

That is considered to be the patient's responsibility. The provider likely gave you an estimate based upon something along the lines of "Yes, we accept X insurance", which does not mean that they're actually in your plan's network - while it might not seem fair, it's not their job to call the insurance company to verify all of that.