Georgann Boatright's local hospital told her she'd need to pay an $8,000 "operating room" charge for a test she was pretty darn sure wouldn't involve an operating room. So she went elsewhere, even though it meant driving to another state.


Avoiding that charge required more than just a willingness to go — literally — way out of her way. Georgann Boatright has knowledge, skills, and grit that most of us don't — although we can maybe learn a thing or two from her.


More and more, people are noticing sneaky new fees like the one Georgann spotted. They’re often called “facility fees,” and they’re kind of like a cover charge for walking through the door. 


Hospitals say these fees go toward overhead on facilities with lots of specialized equipment —places like emergency rooms. But these fees have been increasing in recent years — and becoming more common: As hospitals buy up doctor’s offices, patients are starting to see them tacked onto bills for routine trips to the doctor.


We asked you to send us stories about facility fees. We heard from a ton of you and learned so much. 


We’ve got lots of stories to share. And we’re starting with this epic tale — which also involves the biggest facility fee charge we saw in all your submissions. 


Here’s a transcript of this episode. 


Send your stories and questions. Or call 724 ARM-N-LEG.


Of course we’d love for you to support this show.

Georgann Boatright's local hospital told her she'd need to pay an $8,000 "operating room" charge for a test she was pretty darn sure wouldn't involve an operating room. So she went elsewhere, even though it meant driving to another state. Avoiding that charge required more than just a willingness to go — literally — way out of her way.&nbsp;Georgann Boatright has knowledge, skills, and grit that most of us don't — although we can maybe learn a thing or two from her. More and more, people are noticing sneaky new fees like the one Georgann spotted. They’re often called “facility fees,” and they’re kind of like a cover charge for walking through the door.&nbsp; Hospitals say these fees go toward overhead on facilities with lots of specialized equipment —places like emergency rooms. But these fees have been <a href="https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/how-do-facility-fees-contribute-to-rising-emergency-department-costs/#Average%20total%20cost%20per%20emergency%20department%20evaluation%20and%20management%20claim,%20by%20claim%20level%20and%20professional%20vs%20facility%20fee,%202004-2021" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">increasing</a> in recent years — <a href="https://georgetown.app.box.com/v/statefacilityfeereport" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">and becoming more common</a>: As hospitals buy up doctor’s offices, patients are starting to see them tacked onto bills for routine trips to the doctor. <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/episode/facility-fee-help/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">We asked you</a> to send us stories about facility fees. We heard from a ton of you and learned so much.&nbsp; We’ve got lots of stories to share. And we’re starting with this epic tale — which also involves&nbsp;the biggest facility fee charge we saw in all your submissions.&nbsp; <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Web-transcript_S12-Ep01_Facilty-Fees.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Here’s a transcript of this episode</a>.&nbsp; <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/contact/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Send your stories and questions.</a> Or call 724 ARM-N-LEG. Of course we’d love for you to <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/support/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">support this show</a>.

An Arm and a Leg is a podcast about why health care costs so freaking much and what we can (maybe) do about it.

If you’ve ever been surprised by a medical bill, you’re in good company. But as our team of seasoned journalists has learned from years of reporting — you’re not always helpless. We don’t have all the answers, but we’ll offer you tools and big picture insights with plenty of humor and heart. 

An Arm and a Leg is co-produced with KFF Health News and distributed in partnership with KUOW.

You can support An Arm and a Leg by donating at armandalegshow.com/support/

Show Credits: Created, hosted, and produced by Dan Weissmann with senior producer Emily Pisacreta and engagement producer Claire Davenport, edited by Ellen Weiss. Audio wizard: Adam Raymonda. Music is by Dave Weiner and Blue Dot Sessions. Bea Bosco is our consulting director of operations. Lynne Johnson is our operations manager.

An Arm and a Leg&nbsp;is a podcast about why health care costs so freaking much and what we can (maybe) do about it.
If you&rsquo;ve ever been surprised by a medical bill, you&rsquo;re in good company. But as our team of seasoned journalists has learned from years of reporting &mdash; you&rsquo;re not always helpless. We don&rsquo;t have all the answers, but we&rsquo;ll offer you tools and big picture insights with plenty of humor and heart.&nbsp;
An Arm and a Leg is co-produced with <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/">KFF Health News</a> and distributed in partnership with <a href="https://www.kuow.org/">KUOW</a>.
You can support An Arm and a Leg&nbsp;by donating at <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/support/">armandalegshow.com/support/</a>
<hr>
Show Credits:&nbsp;Created, hosted, and produced by Dan Weissmann with senior producer Emily Pisacreta and engagement producer Claire Davenport, edited by Ellen Weiss. Audio wizard: Adam Raymonda. Music is by Dave Weiner and Blue Dot Sessions. Bea Bosco is our consulting director of operations. Lynne Johnson is our operations manager.

An Arm and a Leg

Facility fees from hospitals are more common than ever – and one woman was determined not to pay.

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