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As health insurance plans become increasingly complicated, more patients are facing unexpected fees when they step outside their plan’s coverage network. In many cases, patients don’t even realize they’ve received out-of-network care until they’re slapped with a bill for hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Nearly a third of insured Americans who have financial problems tied to medical bills faced charges that their insurance would not cover, according to a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. These out-of-network charges were a surprise to nearly 70 percent of patients, who did not know the services were not covered, according to the non-partisan policy group.

The often-hefty bills leave many consumers angry and confused. Determining whether various specialists are in your network can be difficult, sometimes impossible, particularly during emergency situations.

“You can’t wake up from a heart attack and say to the ambulance provider, ‘Excuse me, are you in my network?’” said Karen Pollitz, who has studied the issue for the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Q: How much do these fees cost consumers?

Experts say there is little hard data on the cost of out-of-network charges or how frequently they occur. But a 2011 study by the state of New York found that the average out-of-network emergency bill was about $7,000. After assistance from insurance and other services, most consumers still had to pay roughly $3,780.