<prompt> Human: Hello reddit! Im not sure if this is the right subreddit to post to. About 3 months ago While my mom was eating, she felt that there was something stuck in her throat and it hurt every time she swallowed. So we went to the Emergency department and they found that there was food stuck in her esophagus so they performed an upper GI endoscopy. Now she got billed for 17,500 and the insurance will not cover it because apparently she had to go to her main physician and get approved to go to the Emergency room. From what she has told me, she pays 600 monthly for her insurance. I dont know where to go from here. Please help!  <response>: That doesnt sound right. An emergency is an emergency. Your mom shouldnt have to ask her dcotr if she could go to the emergency room.Does she get coverage through an employer or the the health care exchange Obamacare? If its through employer, go to plan administrator and let them know whats going on. Find out what you need to do from them. If its Obamacare, call them and find out what you should do. In either case, you might have to call the insurance company to get the ball rolling.It might be beneficial to get a summary of benefits that says what is covered and how. It could say how emergencies are treated, or at least give you a good reference tool.Let me know how things progress. 