Need help understanding my liability with this ER Bill

I ended going to the ER for chest pain(turned out fine, not a heart attack) and didnt realize that the hospital was out of network for my Aetna Choice POS II plan. Fast forward 2 months now and I have an bill due from provider for $2872. When I logged into Aetna though, I see the following summary –

Amount Billed – $20572

Plan Discount – $0

Pending or not payable by plan – $16681

Plan's Share – $1018

Your Share – $2872

When I called Aetna, they asked me not to worry about the $16681 as the Provider is supposed to talk to Federal No Surprise Act. The agent on call didnt know anything beyond that.

In the breakdown on Aetna website, it states IF I didnt consent(sign) then I dont have to pay all but the amount that is in my share. However the provider did get my consent to bill me during the visit, I just signed wherever they asked me to, being in the panic I was in with the chest pain.

Now am worried that they will charge me for the $16681. My out of pocket max for out of network on Aetna is $14k. Unfortunately it was a big mistake not realizing that it was an out of network hospital.

Can the experts please suggest what my next steps should be? should i expect another bill from the provider for all or part of $16k that insurance refused to pay? should I talk to the provider and should I negotiate? This is a whole lot of financial burden that is unexpected and stressful for me.

submitted by /u/totemspin
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