If you go to the emergency room without insurance, you might not be getting charged at the correct rate, in accordance with federal law.

Did you know hospitals are required to bill uninsured patients at no higher a rate than a person who has insurance? That’s a new provision in the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, which is an obscure thing not many know.

The tradeoff for hospitals in doing this is that they’re saving millions in taxes through their non-profit status. But the problem is, too many hospitals are ignoring the provision, according to The Arizona Republic.

So if you’re uninsured, you must ask if you’re being billed at an equivalent rate of somebody who has insurance. That is your right under the law. If you discover you’re not being billed properly, have the hospital recalculate the bill the right way.

And a recent court ruling also may have an effect on your doctor bills.

Last month, the Supreme Court ruled on a case involving what are called “pay-for-delay payments” or “reverse payments,” according to The New York Times.

Here’s how this plays out: Big pharmaceutical companies have a medication on which the patent is going to expire. So they have been going to companies that make generics and making them an offer they can’t refuse.

Basically, Big Pharma has been saying to smaller generic manufacturers, “We figure you’ll make $50 million next year selling our brand name as a generic. So we’ll pay you $100 million for you not to make the generic.”

Now the Supreme Court has put the kibosh on that. That means when the patents run out on expensive medications, you’ll be saving big bucks.

Consumer expert Clark Howard’s column appears here each Thursday in conjunction with Deal Spotter, a weekly print section in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Find more answers to your consumer questions at Clark's website.

-- Clark Howard -- Save More, Spend Less, Avoid Rip-offs -- for the Atlanta Bargain Hunter blog

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