The New York State Attorney General, Andre M. Cuomo, is bringing a lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group, New York’s largest health insurance provider. UnitedHealth Group is also one of our countries largest health insurance providers. Cuomo has also subpoenaed 16 other health insurance providers. These include Aetna, Cigna, and Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield. These health insurance providers are being scrutinized for the continuous increase in health costs.

          Mr. Cuomo’s group of analysts has been investigating the structure of cost coverage of out of network doctors. The group discovered that most insurance companies claim they will cover about 80% of the bill for a doctor visit. However, the group discovered that the insurance companies decide what the total bill should cost for your area. For instance, in a city in the tri-state area, the average for a doctor visit may cost around $200. But the insurance companies have decided that the bill should be about $80. Which means the insurance company will only pay $64 of the $200 bill. This leaves the consumer with a $136 out of pocket expense. Although Mr. Cuomo declined to comment on how they found these results, many consumers will agree that they have high costs when going out of their health insurance plan’s network.

         With any luck, the lawsuits imposed on these insurance companies will discovered that the cost of health insurance can be decreased. For many consumers it is a great burden to find an affordable health plan. Mr. Cuomo is taking a big step forward to discover why the finance system in healthcare has become so costly.