He went in for a colonoscopy. The bill was $19,000.
“I told Northwestern, ‘I’m not paying that, and I don’t care if you send me to collections,’” Tom Contos said of his share.

December 20, 2024 at 7:00 a.m. EST Today at 7:00 a.m. EST
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In June, at his doctor’s recommendation, Tom Contos of Chicago underwent a colonoscopy. The hospital charged nearly three times what it had estimated. (Taylor Glascock for KFF Health News)

By Harris Meyer
Tom Contos is an avid runner. When he started experiencing rectal bleeding in March, he thought exercise could be the cause and tried to ignore it. But he became worried when the bleeding continued for weeks.

The Chicago health-care consultant contacted his physician at Northwestern Medicine, who referred Contos, 45, for a colonoscopy, citing in part a family history of colon issues. “My primary-care physician said, ‘Given your family history, let’s get you in.’”

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