Ask the Experts: Medicare and Hospital Medical Errors

Q: If Medicare no longer pays for complications caused by medical errors in hospitals, do patients have to pay the cost?

A: No. Since Oct. 1, hospitals have not been allowed to charge Medicare beneficiaries for treatment of preventable, hospital-acquired problems, such as incorrect surgeries, infections and bedsores. The goal of the new law is to encourage hospitals to reduce medical mistakes.

Patricia Barry is a senior editor at the AARP Bulletin.