How Have You Dealt With An Outrageous Medical Bill?

[user_xyz]

I‘m thinking about how I’m going to respond to a $2000 bill from the county’s ambulance service to transport my wife 5 miles to the hospital and at most they gave her some O2 on the way. This is associated with and addition to the $4000 hospital bill I’m anticipating when she got heat stroke standing in line to vote on Nov4, and subsequently spending 4 hours in the emergency room while they “observed her” before releasing her.

What is semi-amusing is that the Hospital sent me a form to fill out for financial assistance which I ignored, then I got a letter saying financial assistance has been denied, and now I expect they will send me a bill to be paid in full, except I won’t be paying it in full, at least not all at once. First if it’s not itemized, I’ll be asking for an itemized billing. The discussion with my lawyer will concern negotiating a price after the fact, as we were not privy to the charges up front.

Yes, I can afford to pay it, but the question is should I? Just because they bill an outrageous amount, I‘ll be talking to my lawyer and insurance company about it before taking any action. My wife does have a high deductible insurance plan and the hospital bill by itself hits the deductible, so the ambulance ride may not be that much.

The last time my wife was at the emergency room several years ago, after being billed, I told the billing agency I was going to be making monthly payments, they could take it or leave it. They took it.

What has been your approach? Any lawyers here?

Pay your Bills and stop being a Moocher!!

 

[benshive]

@Huntn Did you jinx me with this post? I'm going in for something next week and just received a message that my insurance will only cover 80% so I'll have to cover the other 20% when I go. Including a $50 deductible of course. I blame you

 

[onesixright]

Guess its the USA? Thank god I don’t live there. Despite wetter you can pay it or not. Its, for a civilized country, its an outrage.

Medical care should be a basic human right. Monetizing is the summun of greed.

Sorry, this is of no help...

 

[dukebound85]

Wow you guys have it tough. To even imagine this sort of thing is completely alien to my mind.
If my wife or I got sick, the last thing I’d want to be worrying about is the bill.

many here will deny help due to the associated cost burden

Many have accidents or feel unwell to the point they should go to the ER but will opt not to based on the high costs involved

I often dislike living here

 

[Apple fanboy]

many here will deny help due to the associated cost burden

Many have accidents or feel unwell to the point they should go to the ER but will opt not to based on the high costs involved

I often dislike living here

I can imagine. Of course right now nobody wants to go near a hospital anywhere!

 

[benshive]

Guess its the USA? Thank god I don’t live there. Despite wetter you can pay it or not. Its, for a civilized country, its an outrage.

Medical care should be a basic human right. Monetizing is the summun of greed.

Sorry, this is of no help...

Propaganda that benefits drug and insurance companies has been very effective here in the US. They've been able to convince many that:
- other civilized countries are on the brink of economic collapse due to providing everyone with care
- providing care for everyone is just another attempt by Communists to take over the US and that we can't let it happen
- it would require draconian tax laws to cover the costs

Enough people believe these myths to keep the demand for a fair system low enough to effectively ignore.

 

[Huntn]

@Huntn Did you jinx me with this post? I'm going in for something next week and just received a message that my insurance will only cover 80% so I'll have to cover the other 20% when I go. Including a $50 deductible of course. I blame you

Part of the issues is my wife has a high deductible insurance plan.

When the insurance company is paying the ridiculous bills, I don’t think about it as much, but I will comment on it like the $20k surgeon bill for a 45 minute routine operation.

 

[Roller]

@Huntn - It's unlikely the hospital can do anything about the ambulance charges from the county, but that doesn't mean you can't try negotiating with the county.

I agree with those who have said that the lack of healthcare as a right in this country is horrible. The people who oppose a national program either have good insurance and don't care about people who don't or fall/advocate for the "socialism will destroy us" tactic. Senator Kelly Loeffler, who with her husband is reportedly worth almost $1B, fits both categories.

 

[onesixright]

Propaganda that benefits drug and insurance companies has been very effective here in the US. They've been able to convince many that:
- other civilized countries are on the brink of economic collapse due to providing everyone with care
- providing care for everyone is just another attempt by Communists to take over the US and that we can't let it happen
- it would require draconian tax laws to cover the costs

Enough people believe these myths to keep the demand for a fair system low enough to effectively ignore.

Yeah a way to Powerful lobby. When Trump get sick, best medical care in the world (tax payers pays). Yet another 50k ppl (?) a year die because they have no acces to insurance. Its a disgrace.

Im in the EU pay 100 USD a month. And never have to be afraid to go see a doctor and up being bankrupt. The US is great, but this just sucks.

 

[960design]

Propaganda that benefits drug and insurance companies has been very effective here in the US. They've been able to convince many that:
- other civilized countries are on the brink of economic collapse due to providing everyone with care
- providing care for everyone is just another attempt by Communists to take over the US and that we can't let it happen
- it would require draconian tax laws to cover the costs

Enough people believe these myths to keep the demand for a fair system low enough to effectively ignore.

USA has hit the >51% dumb mark. It was a pretty good ride, while we had it. Time to move on. How does Italy feel about an expats? Thinking of buying a home there.

PS. Since I dislike negative comments without a solution of some sort, I will provide one. For the next congressional elections, DO NOT vote for the incumbent. Pick someone new. #FixUSin4

 

[mainemini]

I have no experience with this group but they are affiliated with Marty Makary (The Price We Pay) author:

Patients | Restoring Medicine

www.restoringmedicine.org

 

[mmomega]

I‘m not so sure in a string of payments I make on a regular basis how much impact resisting a medical bill would have on my credit score and even if I’m worried about that at this point in my life. House and cars paid for, retired, paying all incoming bills.

An interesting aspect of this is that we chose a high deductible plan because the other alternative would have cost +$6k a year (+$500 a month) just to have the insurance. But this does not excuse outrageous billing which I’ve seen since the 90s, yet insurance in the past has paid most of it.

You'd be surprised how much of an effect it has then the debt continuously gets passed / bought out from one collector to another almost indefinitely.

Oh I feel the pain of that $500+ a month deductible. Ours is right at $600.
Also simply asking for a cash rate typically gets a substantially reduced bill. At hospitals, clinics, etc. Asking doesn't mean you agree to anything, it is just gathering options. Most places will work with you.
The high bills are more-so pointed towards insurance companies because insurance will deny, deny, deny medical necessity on many cases until the amount drops to what they feel like cutting a check for. More to it than that but essentially you shoot for the moon so by the time you actually get paid the amount is about at the right price.
If you bill the right price, it gets denied down to the point that you are losing money to provide the service.

I am just saying "you" from the medical providers standpoint.

 

[mrsmith1]

No because I live in the UK and we have the wonderful NHS. We don't get medical bills. You guys should try it.

 

[HDFan]

$2000 bill from the county’s ambulance service to transport my wife 5 miles to the hospital and at most they gave her some O2 on the way.

How about $3660 for a 4 mile trip? Or a $26K trauma fee? No one really knows the real cost of hospital services in the U.S., although I think one hospital did no a study. Some states have regulations about unexpected bills, but often ambulances are not included.

Ambulance trips can leave you with surprising — and very expensive — bills

Consumer protection laws largely don’t cover ambulance rides, which can cost thousands.

www.washingtonpost.com

 

[mrsmith1]

I’ve just reached the grand old age of 60 and that means in the UK all my medication is free.