Can I trust out of network surgeon will not bill me?

I'm scheduled for a quick hernia surgery in the USA. The surgeon is telling me me that all hospital services are in network, except for his.

He says this means the hospital will bill my insurance as normal. He says he will bill my insurance as an out of network provider, and simply accept whatever they decide to pay him, and he assures me he will not bill me. His office tried to explain that he actually makes more money this way and so it "works for everybody". They won't give any of this to me in writing.

This is complicated by the fact that I'm pretty certain I signed some paperwork explaining how I will be charged interest if I fail to pay. They also say the insurance company will try to convince me this is a bad idea.

I don't want any unexpected bills. How standard is this type of arrangement? Am I right to be worried? What can I do to protect myself from unexpected bills? What is the "worst case scenario" here and how can I avoid it?

submitted by /u/throwaway998989822
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