ER never took insurance info – am I screwed?

Yesterday I went to an urgent care for severe abdominal pain, and urgent care told me to go to an ER immediately and seemed very concerned. I do know that my insurance covers ER visits, but I do not know if this ER was in-network because we just went to the closest one. The guy who checked me in at the ER was a total idiot (made me stand to give info when I told him my pain was a 10/10 because he wasn't paying attention, asked for my phone number 5+ times, etc) and never asked for my insurance info. I thought that was strange but I was in so much pain I didn't fully clock it until, included with my discharge paperwork, I received a packet about financial assistance for out of pocket ER visits.

I called immediately upon returning home and gave them my insurance info over the phone, and the guy on the line wished me a very somber "good luck". I'm now extremely worried: I'm assuming if they had my insurance to begin with, they would've done a pre-auth before everything they did? So is there a chance stuff they did will not be covered? It wound up being nothing that the urgent care or the ER was worried about, but they were extremely thorough to figure that out: a ton of blood tests, 2 types of ultrasound (recommended by the urgent care), pain meds via an IV, etc. I do not have the capability whatsoever to pay for this (or any component of it) out of pocket, it would legitimately ruin my life.

Is this how it works? Is my life actually royally screwed because this moron didn't think to ask me for my insurance????? Can someone reassure me or something please? TIA, I've been feeling literally sick over it since I got discharged.

submitted by /u/Appropriate_Fee9177
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