Opinion: California hospitals are fighting a proposal to end surprise ER bills

As the L.A. Times’ editorial board noted Tuesday, one of the biggest fears among consumers is that if they go into an emergency room in desperate need of treatment, they’ll leave with a hefty bill from an anesthesiologist, a surgeon or some other healthcare provider who’s not in their insurer’s network. It’s a reasonable fear; one recent study showed that 14% to 20% of ER visits ended in that kind of nasty surprise.