[mandown]

i got a letter today from the hospital. it says i owe them $180 for amounts my insurance company claims i am responsible for. there was no detail or explanation of the amount due, just a request letter for money for services rendered from 10/18-10/31. i had been discharged as of 10/14, so i thought something smelled fishy.

one phone call to customer (dis)service revealed that the bill was for a "facility fee." as it turns out, the rehab facility i go to as an outpatient, is affiliated with the hospital where i was an "inpatient" and the hospital charges this fee in addition to the co-pay amount that i have already paid to the rehab facility. the girl at (dis)service said the hospital was due the money because they provide the facility i go to for my rehab (which is not on the hospital grounds).

i'm happy to be walking again, and willing to pay the people who helped me get here. however, this feels a bit like buying a plane ticket, then getting charged for baggage and meal fees, without getting my package checked for combustibles.

 

[DirtyMike]

That sounds like complete and total bull**** to me

 

[Pesqueeb]

While not surprising, still disappointing to hear. My hospital visits were shockingly hassle free, at least as far as all that insurance/billing crap went with provider and insurance. It was my employer that tried to fvck me on all that. Good luck man, I'd fight that to the bitter end. Does your insurance or employer provide some kind of advocate or legal service? Might look into that to deal with these clowns.

 

[CrabJoe StretchPants]

I bet you regret the happy ending PT now, don't ya?


That sucks man......I've yet to have an ER visit the hospital hasn't tried to double-bill my insurance company and myself. Slimy fvcks.

 

[lovebunny]

all i have to say after my experience is FVCK the medical industry. i understand that i took alot of care. but the price they charge for food? jesus i was so drugged up i was barely eating anyway.

 

[Sandwich]

you like getting your package checked in the airport?

 

[Quo Fan]

I had to see an ortho for my hand, and they gave me a brace that I could have bought at Walgreen's for $17. They charged my insurance co $100, and I had a co-pay of $20. WTF.

 

[loco-gringo]

When I had my surgery years ago, I got billed $80 from an ortho firm in Cali. I was in TX and had insurance. I told them it was necessary for recovery and shouldn't have been billed 3rd party. I pointed out I had never heard of them and did not enter into a contract with them. As far as I know, you have to know about a company to do business with them. I told them to shove my bill up their ass and have my hospital bill me and to get their money from them. Never heard another word.

I love these stories. Thread title made me laugh.

 

[mandown]

The other great move is that the doctors bill for the treatment they give in the hospital apart from the bill the hospital facility sends, as the doctors are independent entities working at the hospital entity. Some of the doctors are covered and some are not, under my insurance. Bullisht! How does it make sense that I checked in to a hospital covered by my insurance, but some of the doctors at that hospital are "out of network"? None of the doctors ever asked me what insurance I had, nor was I given the option of checking if they were in my insurance network and given alternative options. Either the hospital is covered or it isn't, this kinda-sorta-sometimes business is weak.

 

[Toshi]

Remember that our current system of for-profit insurance represents freedom, motherhood, and apple pie. If you don't support it wholeheartedly you're a ****in' commie.

[/Republican]

 

[SirChomps-a-Lot]

Remember that our current system of for-profit insurance represents freedom, motherhood, and apple pie. If you don't support it wholeheartedly you're a ****in' commie.

[/Republican]

Word. Support healthcare reform. This nonsense can't go on.

 

[stoney]

There should be certain rules around if you work for a hospital that is in network, you are in network. That is ludicrious.

I still need to go through all of my medical bills from my epilepsy stays. I am getting runs of bills, but most were paid by my insurance already... Need to sort it out.

 

[stoney]

Word. Support healthcare reform. This nonsense can't go on.

You're in canuckistan now. shut your pie hole.

The reform we need is up front pricing, and fixed rates for emergency services (for used items, type of procedure, etc). Not being able to shop around your service based on px is stupid. Price transparency creates competition.

 

[ebarker9]

The other great move is that the doctors bill for the treatment they give in the hospital apart from the bill the hospital facility sends, as the doctors are independent entities working at the hospital entity. Some of the doctors are covered and some are not, under my insurance. Bullisht! How does it make sense that I checked in to a hospital covered by my insurance, but some of the doctors at that hospital are "out of network"? None of the doctors ever asked me what insurance I had, nor was I given the option of checking if they were in my insurance network and given alternative options. Either the hospital is covered or it isn't, this kinda-sorta-sometimes business is weak.

I got caught out by that as well. I went so far as to call my insurance company to make sure the hospital that I went to was in-network (before seeking treatment for possibly broken fingers). Afterward I received a bill for out of network services (a few hundred dollars worth). After calling the insurance company they informed me that, although the hospital was in-network, the employees of the hospital were not. The insurance agent said that it made no sense and would elevate it to some higher level. My claim was denied and I still got stuck with the bill.

 

[rockofullr]

i got a letter today from the hospital. it says i owe them $180 for amounts my insurance company claims i am responsible for.

Just be happy there weren't any more zeroes after that number.

you like getting your package checked in the airport?

Is there any other reason to go to the airport?

 

[stosh]

My friends Son is dying from cancer, his health insurance won't pay for the treatment. The system is seriously F'ed up.

 

[Toshi]

The reform we need is up front pricing, and fixed rates for emergency services (for used items, type of procedure, etc). Not being able to shop around your service based on px is stupid. Price transparency creates competition.

Please show me any evidence that this would actually lower prices without leading to worse outcomes, based on other countries' experience. Ideology is one thing. Using ideology to support policies that may lead directly or indirectly to people dying is another.

 

[jonKranked]

all i have to say after my experience is FVCK the medical industry. i understand that i took alot of care. but the price they charge for food? jesus i was so drugged up i was barely eating anyway.

I work in the medical industry. it's not us, its the insurance companies. doctors/nurses/caregivers hate them too.

Remember that our current system of for-profit insurance represents freedom, motherhood, and apple pie. If you don't support it wholeheartedly you're a ****in' commie.

[/Republican]

god don't get me started on how fvcked the health insurance system is.