Inquiry set on healthcare billing

New York Times, February 14, 2008

New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has announced a sweeping investigation into whether health insurance companies have systematically forced patients to pay more than they should when using doctors and hospitals outside their insurer's networks. Cuomo said he intended to sue UnitedHealth Group as part of the investigation. The problem has existed for about a decade, potentially adding hundreds of millions of dollars to the out-of-pocket medical expenses of insured consumers nationwide, Cuomo added.