LPT: If you have a friend with a medical emergency, DO NOT call an ambulance off the bat. First, call their insurance company to see what ambulances are covered. A 15-minute ride in what you thought was an in-plan ambulance can be a $4,000 bill.

This happened to me, and the first I heard about it was when I received the bill. I have since run this up the various flagpoles with my insurance company, and it appears that this is my problem and not theirs. They "contract" (or something) with various ambulance companies, and while some of them will pick me up, only some of them will accept my insurance. They're sort of like doctors that way, and unlike regular emergency responders, who presumably will pick you up no matter what, if you call the wrong ambulance you're going to be stuck with a HUGE bill. I live in a huge city (Chicago) and am only a few blocks from a hospital, so I can't see this EVER being an issue (resting my hand on the nearest wood surface even as I type this), but if you live in a rural area where it's 30 miles to the nearest ER, this could become an issue.<br><br>EDIT: Wow, this blew up. I am glad that I was able to help so many people, and I do remember the ambulance company (Cenmed, or Central Medicine, which does not show up on UHC's website as being in network). Please note that while I was the victim of an expensive surprise bill, I was also able to get a lot of help, and that my final bill was "reduced" from $4,000 to $1,000. From what I can tell, this still cost me $400, which is a lot, but not nearly as bad as a surprise $4,000 medical bill. In any case, apparently I need to get a better health insurance plan, because while it cost me $400 to be taken one mile to a hospital, they did at least cover the three weeks I spent in that hospital, and it could have been a lot worse. In any case, I would have posted this tip nowhere but this chamber, since I could not imagine any other place where anyone would care about this sort of thing.