Your health is one of the most important things for you to protect. Without a strong body and healthily functioning systems, you may experience serious complications. However, health care can be an enormous expense for people. You want to prioritize the best care, but sometimes it just isn’t feasible with the amount many places charge for patient care. Of course, health insurance exists, but that can also be an expensive plan to pay into. And sometimes your out-of-pocket costs are still astronomical.

One of the hardest situations is when your health care costs end up being much higher than you anticipated. It’s one thing to plan for a private hospital stay or a pricey surgery, but when your insurer doesn’t pay up or complications increase your bill, it can be a scary situation. No one should ever have to stress about the cost of getting better or staying healthy. Understanding the problem is the first step to correcting it. Let’s look at a few different reasons why your medical fees may end up much higher than you anticipated.

Lack of Insurance

Health insurance is a fantastic tool that helps so many people afford their medical costs. Usually, your insurer is tied to your occupation or perhaps you’re on a private plan or medicare/Medicaid. Having a good insurance plan allows you to receive great care from doctors and nurses with LPN skills. You can get medicine and regular treatment you need to keep your body and mind healthy.

While you will often still pay a copay or a small fee to visit the doctor, your insurer covers most of the costs. If you don’t have insurance, this is the main reason why your out-of-pocket costs will be so high. Medical care is expensive and without paying insurance premiums regularly, you won’t meet the qualifications to get aid for your medical bills.

Medical Levy Surcharge

In Australia, you may actually get punished for not investing in health insurance. The Australian government has implemented a medical levy surcharge that affects individuals who make over $90,000 per year or a couple that makes over $180,000. The medical levy surcharge affects taxpayers who don’t have health insurance as an incentive for these higher-income individuals to buy into the program. If this income bracket includes you and you haven’t purchased insurance, this surcharge may be the reason why your medical expenses are so high.

Visiting the Wrong Provider

It’s been established that health insurance is a great private or public system that helps many individuals afford medical care. However, most insurance providers work within a specific network of hospitals and clinics. If you notice your copay is higher than expected, it may be because you are visiting the wrong provider. Check to make sure your doctor or specialist is in-network with your insurer. If not, there are plenty of registered nurses and great doctors within your network that will be much cheaper for you to see.

Medical Complications

The medical field is not always exact and new issues can come up as doctors learn more about your specific conditions. Different complications with your treatment plan or health care needs can cost extra. For example, if you are giving birth, a normal delivery process will cost a certain amount. But if you end up enduring a complicated delivery or a need for a c-section, that may be a more expensive procedure than you were expecting.

Also, if you end up staying as a more permanent resident of the hospital for longer than anticipated, those days will start to cost you. Of course, the hope is for surgeries and treatments to go as planned, but unexpected complications may come with a higher cost.