The hospital or facility may have a financial assistance program to help you. This link is what I found with a quick google search. https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/community-health/communities-we-serve/northwest-community/ensuring-health-access/subsidized-care-and-coverage0/medical-financial-assistance-program
I work adjacent to medical billing (I screen people for eligibility for financial assistance programs similar to the above) – and I’ve only just made it past my 90 day probationary period (benefits on Monday, yay!) so I am no expert on this – but I believe that when you have a primary and a secondary insurance, the facility bills the primary first, the primary decides what it will pay, what it won’t, and what is the patient’s responsibility, and either writes a check to the facility or goes ‘nah’. Then the facility passes on whatever is left to the next responsible party, which in this case should be your secondary insurance. Only after the secondary has been billed and responded should you be considered for whatever is left.
All of which takes time, and yes, in the meantime you’re getting statements and bills and there’s five figures on there and it’s really stressful and overwhelming. I’m sorry that you’re going through that, and I’m sorry that people with insurance still have to apply for financial assistance at all, but I hope that isn’t just ‘explaining’ stuff that you already know, and will help you a bit.
Oh phew yes, I’m right, thanks TNP.