A $109,000 Heart Attack Bill--Even With Insurance

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Subscribe to MONEY Magazine National health spending reached a whopping $3.3 trillion in 2016, or $10,348 per person. Few patients are immune to rising prices and surprise bills. Today’s edition features a teacher who got billed $109,000 for a heart attack, even with the health insurance provided by his school district! This same scenario could happen to an early retiree who buys individual insurance before the Medicare eligibility age of 65. And while the out-of-network charges that bedeviled the teacher don’t come into play with original Medicare (as long as patients stick to doctors who accept it), beneficiaries can still get stuck with high out-of-pocket costs unless they buy a supplemental plan. Read this cautionary tale and take stock of potential gaps in your own health coverage. On a different note, we're voting today for our September Retire with Money book club selection! Please make your choice by 3pm ET today in the Facebook page, or email me (details below) if you're not on FB. Best wishes for a safe and happy long weekend! Elizabeth P.S. If you like this newsletter, please pass it on to a friend! And if you got it from a friend, sign up here for email delivery to make sure you don’t miss the next issue. TIMELY RETIREMENT NEWS, INSIGHTS AND ADVICE This High School Teacher Got Billed $109,000 After a Heart Attack — Even With Insurance That's nearly twice his annual pay. Home Depot and Lowe’s Just Launched Huge Labor Day Sales. Here Are the Best Deals Stock up on lawn supplies and more as the summer winds down. Here’s a Genius Trick for Replying to an Email That Makes You Furious Master this now. READER INSIGHTS It’s time to vote on our September Retire with Money book club selection! We had many good candidates from the first one, so we’ll vote on those runner ups. We’re conducting a poll in our Facebook group, but people not on Facebook can send in their choice to me at retirewithmoney@moneymail.com . The deadline is quickly approaching--today at 3pm ET. I’ll declare the winner ahead of the holiday weekend in the FB group and in next Tuesday's newsletter. Here are the contenders: All the News I Need by Joan Frank Rock Retirement by Roger Whitney Control Your Retirement Destiny by Dana Anspach The Truth About Your Future by Ric Edelman Allie and Bea by Catherine Ryan Hyde How to Retire Happy, Wild and Free by Ernie J. Zelinski The Wall Street Journal Complete Retirement Guidebook by Glenn Ruffenach Being Mortal by Atul Gawande RETIREMENT NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB Even a Small Amount of Medical Debt Can Trigger Headaches Over half of the annual medical collections were for less than $600, according to a recent study. ASSOCIATED PRESS Hit Me With Your Best Shot: The Four Vaccines Every Grown up Needs The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Recommends Adults 50-plus get four separate vaccines. CONSIDERABLE Combating Loneliness in Older Adults Ride sharing and other innovations are chipping away at a big societal problem. THE COMMONWEALTH FUND Here’s Why So Many People Can’t Save for Retirement Stagnant incomes are partly to blame. CNBC ABOUT ELIZABETH Elizabeth O'Brien is a senior writer at MONEY, covering retirement and health care. You can email her at elizabeth.o'brien@moneymail.com and follow her on Twitter at @elizobrien. To Unsubscribe You have received this e-mail because you are subscribed to this newsletter from MONEY.com. Unsubscribe here. Update Email Click here to update your email address. Privacy Policy Please read our Privacy Policy. MONEY may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. For Further Communication Please email retirewithmoney@moneymail.com Money Customer Service 3000 University Center Drive Tampa, FL 33612-6408 Connect with Money Find Money on Facebook Follow Money on Twitter Subscribe to more MONEY and TIME Newsletters Get Money Magazine on your Mobile Device Get MONEY on your iPad Subscribe to RSS Feed Subscribe to MONEY Magazine