Few things are more frightening than an unexpected hospitalization. And few things are more frustrating than returning home to find an expensive medical bill. Research suggests that surprise medical bills are a more common occurrence than you might think. It's happened to me twice—once with an x-ray and once with a laboratory charge—so you may have experienced it as well.
In fact, a 2015 Consumer Reports survey of 2,200 adults found that one-third of all privately insured patients received a surprise medical bill in the preceding two years—and only 28 percent were satisfied with how the problem was resolved.
Even if you go to a hospital within your network, you can still be hit with an unexpected bill from an out-of-network physician serving as a consultant. This is especially true for neurologic patients. Those who are uninsured or see out-of-network doctors in the hospital receive bills that are often several times higher than rates negotiated with in-network contracts and do not reflect actual costs. These can come from an out-of-network lab or provider such as an anesthesiologist, radiologist, or emergency department physician working in an in-network facility.
That is why when we redesigned Brain & Life, we knew it was just as important to provide information on the financial side of health care as on the latest therapeutic and diagnostic advances. And we will continue to do so. For an example, read this month's Healthy Living column on Finances for tips on how to keep hospital bills—for both planned and unplanned admissions—as low as possible.
Also as part of the redesign, we are launching a new column called Wonders of the Brain, which delves into some of the mysteries of this remarkable organ. In this issue, we describe the story of Alex Louis, a 13-year-old who thought everyone saw musical notes as colors until his band director mentioned synesthesia, a condition in which one sense activates another. Future topics will include colorblindness and photographic memory. If you have unusual neurologic symptoms or brain quirks like those written about by the late Oliver Sacks and want to share your story, write to us at BrainandLife@wolterskluwer.com.
In response to letters from readers requesting more information about pain, we commissioned a story on chronic pain, a condition that affects millions of Americans. Many people with neurologic conditions such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, tumors, epilepsy, brain or spinal cord trauma, Parkinson's disease, and neuropathy experience daily pain. Read our feature for expert advice on managing chronic pain with medications and lifestyle modifications.
In our cover story, we feature 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl, who uses her investigative skills to help her husband manage his Parkinson's disease. She describes the unusual course of his illness and how boxing, deep brain stimulation surgery, and their two grandchildren, have helped him control his symptoms and deal with a chronic condition.
Our story in the Caregiving department reminds all caregivers not to neglect their own health. As one expert says, citing an airline metaphor, "You need to put your own oxygen mask on first before helping those seated around you."
Thank you for reading Brain & Life and sharing your views through letters and social media. Thanks also for following the magazine on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For more advice about living with a neurologic condition as well as online-only content, visit us at BrainandLife.org.
Orly Avitzur, MD, MBA, FAAN
Editor-in-Chief
