Milwaukee Patient Challenges Deceptive Healthcare Billing

A patient in Milwaukee, Julia Ubert, raised concerns about what she describes as a 'deceptive billing practice' after receiving a bill of nearly $500 for an 'establish care' appointment, which she thought was a simple meet-and-greet with her new doctor. Ubert claims she received vague responses from Aurora Healthcare regarding the charges and felt frustrated when she realized she was liable for a significant out-of-pocket expense despite understanding the appointment to be a preventive care meeting without any treatment.

In an effort to challenge the bill, Ubert reached out to the media and received support from Wisconsin Health Insurance Advocates, highlighting a common issue where patients face unexpected charges due to billing and coding errors. Ubert was advised to compare the bill with her health insurance's explanation of benefits (EOB) and not to pay disputed bills. Following media attention, Aurora contacted Ubert to inform her that the charge would be waived, though she has decided to switch healthcare providers moving forward.