A Texas hospital that charged a teacher $108,951 for care after a 2017 heart attack told the patient Thursday it would slash the bill to $332.29 — but not before a story about the huge charge sparked a national conversation over what should be done to combat surprise medical bills that afflict a growing number of Americans. The story of Drew Calver was first reported by NPR and Kaiser Health News on Monday as part of the "Bill of the Month" series, which examines U.S. health care prices and the troubles patients run up against in the $3.5 trillion industry. In Calver's case, the 44-year-old father of two had suffered a serious heart attack in April 2017. A neighbor rushed Calver to the nearest emergency room, which happened to be an out-of-network hospital under his school district health plan. His insurance paid the hospital nearly $56,000 for his four-day hospitalization and the procedures to clear his blocked artery. But the hospital, St. David's Medical Center in Austin, wasn't
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