I am a retired senior, living on a fixed income and grateful for Medicare. There are many people here who are in the same position. In our community a main topic of conversation is health, healthcare and our medical costs. Many people have found that months after an emergency room or urgent care visit, they are billed for services denied by their insurance on the basis that the doctor, lab work or service is out of network.

Congress has begun looking into these “surprise” medical bills. In an emergency the patient has no choice of doctors or services. They just have to take what is provided. It is a real surprise when you find out there is nothing to do, but to pay the amount no matter what. Most of us plan our lives carefully and can’t afford a big surprise medical bill.

New York State has had some success in creating an arbitration/dispute resolution structure. This involves the insurance companies, hospitals and doctors, not the patients. Not only seniors need a remedy, anyone can be surprised by these charges. There must be some remedy.