Uninsured Indiana residents may have a way to challenge healthcare prices thanks to a recent court case, reports The Times of Northwest Indiana.
Here are five things to know about the issue.
1. The Indiana Supreme Court has provided an avenue for resident Thomas Frost to challenge the reasonableness of healthcare pricing through evidence of lower rates paid by insured patients for the same services, according to the article.
2. Mr. Frost, who is uninsured, faced $629,386.50 in medical bills following a 2013 motorcycle accident. The resident claims he may lawfully learn whether his bill exceeds the payment the hospital would accept from an insured patient, according to the report.
3. The Indiana Court of Appeals in March authorized Mr. Frost to seek hospital billing records that would provide pricing information and allow him to potentially reduce his bill under the Indiana Hospital Lien Act, reports The Times of Northwest Indiana.
4. The Indiana Supreme Court this month declined to hear the case, thereby allowing Mr. Frost to begin discovery against the hospital, according to t he report.
5. According to the The Times of Northwest Indiana, the outcome of Mr. Frost's challenge could affect about 1 in 8 uninsured people in Indiana.