Many of us have received a bill in the mail for

medical services that has taken us completely by surprise. In fact, one in six Americans have received

unexpected and often sky-high charges that they unknowingly incurred after

getting care from a doctor or hospital. That’s why so-called “surprise billing”

has become a hot button issue at both the federal and local levels in the U.S.

Nine states to date have adopted policies to protect consumers.

What are these surprise bills? What exactly is being done to protect patients and what can we do to shield ourselves from the unforeseen costs of care?

Joining us to help us answer these and other questions is Arthur Fougner, MD, president of the Medical Society of the State of New York and assistant professor of medicine, obstetrics and gynecology at the Zucker School of Medicine.