A fee change by Blue Cross/Blue Shield cuts deep

Under Blue Cross/Blue Shield's standard option next year, patients will pay 100% for an operation by an out-of-network physician, up to a maximum of $7,500, "per surgeon, per surgical day," according to the Service Benefit Plan. Currently, the rate is 25% of what the company sets for a procedure, plus any difference between that and the billed amount. The fee change has created some outrage among members and their doctors.