More than 100 million American consumers pay extra premiums for health insurance coverage that allows them to receive care outside their insurance company’s network of doctors and other health care providers. Consumers pay more for “out-of-network” coverage because they believe it gives them access to the medical care that will afford them or their family members the best chance for recovery from a serious accident or illness.Public payers were found to pay 27 percent more to U.S. primary care physicians for office visits than they paid to primary care physicians in other countries; private payers paid 70 percent more. Public payers paid 70 percent more to U.S. orthopedic doctors for hip replacements than they paid to orthopedic doctors in other countries; private payers paid 120 percent more.

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