“In these scenarios where a service is not covered by insurance it is our billing practice to bill the patient so they can connect with their insurance carrier and help to get this resolved,” Ashwini Kotwal, chief financial officer of NorthStar, which is based in Texas, said in an email. “We try hard for patients to get in-network benefits and for all claims to be processed by payers in a timely manner,” but in the meantime, patients are liable for the bill.