Understanding the true cost of a medical procedure before it happens is often difficult — and for many patients, the final bill is far higher than expected.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is launching an investigation into hospital billing practices, aiming to hold providers accountable for a lack of price transparency.

“I had to pay a certain amount to my doctor, then another at the surgery center, and now I’m still waiting on the anesthesiologist’s bill,” Kim Samsel, a patient who’s faced years of medical expenses while battling Crohn’s disease, told WTVT. “You would think they could just tell you upfront what it’s going to cost.”

Samsel says the price she’s quoted before a procedure rarely matches what she ends up being billed — with surprise charges and additional fees adding up quickly.

“It’s overwhelming. These unexpected medical bills make it nearly impossible to pay everything back,” she said.

Uthmeier announced last month that his office has begun issuing subpoenas to multiple hospitals across Florida, seeking information on patient billing, pricing disclosures, and potential violations of consumer protection laws.

“The big health care industrial complex continues to rake in billions off Americans in their most vulnerable moments. We must protect patients,” Uthmeier said. “Just like any market, services have a price — and patients deserve transparency to make fully informed decisions.”

Samsel, now in remission, says she’s still buried under about $30,000 in medical debt — not just from procedures, but also from inflated charges on items like medications.

“One Benadryl pill cost me $40 in the hospital — when I can buy a bottle of 200 for two dollars,” she said. “We don’t just need price transparency; we need pricing that actually makes sense.”

A recent Nationwide study found that two-thirds of Americans delay medical care each year due to fear of unaffordable costs — a statistic Uthmeier says his office is taking seriously as it continues its investigation.

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