I googled East Texas Piney Woods,

This is the first time that I recall someone mentioning it .

That was some interesting reading, it that may very well be an area that I'd
Like to spend 16 - 24 days in.

Do you ever miss that area of the country?

Every day

I just got my first bill from the hospital.

85,000 dollars

That's not a typo

I assume the great majority will be paid by insurance?
We continue to stand by, waiting to hear if you would like help with this.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
I just got my first bill from the hospital.

85,000 dollars

That's not a typo

Is that the billed rate or the member rate (huge number either way)?

I was in the hospital last summer and the hospital's original bill was $41k and the member rate was $13.2k. On top of that, every department (lab, imaging, etc) is a "separate" company and every person who looked at me, my file, my labs, or my imaging was a "contractor." It ended up being 10 separate bills, and every bill had the member rate about 67% less than the original bill. Fortunately, I hit my out of pocket maximum about 3 hours after walking in the ER doors so my portion of bill was manageable.

At this point, I hve no idea what insurance covers. Two days ago, my wife was on hold with COBRA for two hours because even though they said initially I was covered, they seem to be disputing this now, saying they have to see about making sure things are "up to date" for me in their system.

It's inadequate to call this wrong or immoral. This is criminal. How can anyone who sets such prices even look at their face in a mirror? I can't even begin to imagine how someone thinks the care they provided me in that two day hospital stay is worth even half of what they billed.

I'm absolutely stunned

The first step is to get an itemized bill so you can understand the charges or at least have some idea. The hospitals and some of the doctors send bills BEFORE filing with the insurance company.
In my experience I have found numerous mistakes as the billing process is often handled in another state. It takes persistence and patience to get it sorted out. There are consultants that go over bills for you and I believe some on this Forum have that expertise.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
There are consultants that go over bills for you and I believe some on this Forum have that expertise.

I don't know who that would be.

I wonder why they didn't just make it a nice, round 100,000 dollars. Such an amount makes no less sense than 85,000 dollars.

It's not as if we discussed prices with the hospital or even had the chance, or that it would matter anyway. One hospital is going to charge about the same as another.

Apparently, these people engage in financial ruination of the average guy on a regular basis. Just business as usual, huh?

Why not a million? Let's think big. They shouldn't hold back out of modesty or a sense of decency. I owe these snakes a million dollars. It might as well be that much.

I cannot recall specific names for certain, but there is expertise in billing and coding. I have read the posts. Surprisingly, hospitals do differ widely in their listed charges for MRIs, bone density scans etc.

As to the bill, it is indeed outrageous and should be viewed as such. No one pays that price. Typically, insurance companies set an allowable fee and pay a percentage of that. WIth the 85 thousand dollar amount, an allowable may be ten thousand. Who knows? The patient then pays a percentage of the allowable. THe allowable charge is often negotiable as well. Hope this helps.

So, again, why not make it a million? They ask 85K, you say it may get negotiated down to 10K. If they asked a million and it turned out to be 10,000, why, I'd be left with the impression that I fleeced these hucksters, huh?

This system is perverted beyond recovery.

^^^^^^^^^^^
I agree.

My Bonnie got a bill for $121,000.00
for having five stints put in , a month ago.

she talked to them for an hour and they took $80,000.00 off.

still waiting to see what medcare and medicaid will pay.


and now shes been in the hospital for three days ,
because nothing they did fixed her heart racing and shortness of breath.

I am very sorry to hear that, bendable. I hope her condition improves.

I just can't believe the shamelessness of these people.

I’m glad you are ok Para. Sigforum has had a huge impact on me. I credit my political awakening in large part to the amazing members of this forum. When I’ve gone through some rough patches in my life the members here have helped me more than they will ever know.

I hate to think of a time where Sigforum does not exist. In fact I like to push thoughts like that out of my mind entirely. This is the place I come to for knowledge and quality conversation. This place is special. There is no other place like Sigforum on the entire internet.

Thank you Para for all that you do, I know it is not easy. I cherish my membership here.

quote:

My Bonnie got a bill for $121,000.00
for having five stints put in , a month ago.

she talked to them for an hour and they took $80,000.00 off.

still waiting to see what medcare and medicaid will pay.

^^^^^^^^^
Medicare and Medicaid should pay the rest. By law they cannot balance bill. In other words they cannot ask the patient to pay more than Medicare allows. The addition of Medicaid should cover the rest.

I hope that Bonnie recovers. I had a lot of difficulty with those symptoms after stent placement. It improved after a time.

Thanks for the good thoughts,
I am in tears when I leave ,every day.

Now they are talking about a defibulater implant.

She has no pain, just
Living at quarter speed to avoid
Shortness of breath and heart racing

I have made up my mind. Should I come down with a major illness and have treatment with a resulting 6 figure bill, I will file for bankruptcy before I pay the that kind of money. I have insurance (outrageously expensive and high deductible) and if that insurance either wont pay or wont cover the treatment, tough shit.

At a loss for words.

We are being fleeced and told to be glad when the bill is reduced from insane down to only unbelievable.

Bendable, I usually love reading your posts, but not the last couple.

Prayers for both you and your Bonnie from TampaBay.

Bob