Family Charged $700 More After Using Health Insurance For Their Daughter’s Life-Saving Ambulance Ride
The dad was understandably confused about why having health insurance would mean their medical bill would increase.
fizkes | Shutterstock Health insurance in America is a hotly debated and discussed topic. Unfortunately, it often seems to create more problems than it actually solves.
One family had the unfortunate experience of learning this first-hand after a bill they received for medical care increased by hundreds of dollars after they gave the hospital their insurance information.
A family had to pay an extra $700 for their daughter’s ambulance ride all because they had health insurance.
A TikTok content creator named Robby, known as "The Robby Show," typically shares humorous videos. There was, however, one recent video that he assured viewers was not satire, but actually a real glimpse into his life, and it left viewers infuriated.
In the video, Robby was on the phone with a hospital customer service representative, following his daughter’s recent hospital visit. “This is the state of healthcare in America for a life-saving ambulance ride for my daughter,” he said. “The state of California is penalizing citizens who have insurance.”
“I think there’s a mistake on the bill,” he informed the rep. “Um, we got a bill, um, and then we realized that you guys didn’t have our insurance, so we sent you the insurance and it looks like the bill went up.” He added, “The first bill we got without the insurance was 600 bucks, and then the second one was, uh, almost 1300 bucks.”
The customer service rep explained that the bill went up because having health insurance made the family ineligible for a discount.
“So … the first invoice you received, that’s a discount you receive if you’re uninsured,” he said. “So you’re not, um, eligible for the discount since you are insured. So the bill was $2,342.14. We billed your insurance. Your insurance only paid $1,078.85.”
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Robby was understandably flabbergasted. “Can I go back to the discount without the insurance?” he asked.
“No, sir,” the representative said. “You’re insured, so you’re not eligible for the discount.” The rep also clarified that Robby could not cancel his insurance and then receive the discount, as the hospital knew he was insured on the date of service. “Oh, I needed to cancel it before I got the service to get the discount,” he deadpanned.
Apparently, this is all the result of a new California law.
A very confused Robby asked, “Is this common? Like, … I pay for insurance and I end up paying more out of pocket because I pay for a premium? That’s wild.”
At that point, the customer service rep finally opened up a bit more about what was going on. “This is just a new law that passed … starting in 2024, AB 716,” he explained. “The law is you receive a discount if you’re uninsured.” Robby wanted to make sure he understood what he was being told. “If I wanna pay less for medical care, I should cancel my insurance? If my daughter needs life-saving medical care?” he questioned. “That is special. That is a special law.”
Mikhail Nilov | Pexels
On the surface, the law sounds like a good idea. Introduced by Democratic lawmaker Tasha Boerner, it sought to do away with any “surprise bills” accrued by calling an ambulance. According to a press release on Assemblymember Boerner’s website, “In the case of ambulances, consumers have no choice whether the ambulance that arrives is contracted with their health plan, often resulting in a surprise bill because the consumer ends up having to make up the difference between what their health plan will pay and what the ambulance provider is charging.”
This would theoretically work great for the uninsured, but it would be a tough pill to swallow if you do have insurance and end up paying more because of it. Unfortunately, families like Robby’s are being penalized when they receive medical care, all because they have health insurance.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.