How To Survive Hospital Bills

[FC]

Hospital Bills

[usmc0332]

This would have been helpful in 2004. Hospital collections are the very worst. I shouldn't have paid them.

[fritz]

There has got to be something sinnister going on between the hospital, the insured patients, and the uninsured patients.

 

To wit: A year or so ago mrs fritz and I both had to go to the hospital (at different times). We both spent minimum time in the hospital, mrs fritz for tests and me for snakebite.

 

The bill for mrs fritz was close to $25,000. I was shocked and thought it must be a typo. It had to mean $2, 500. No, it was for 25 grand, and that is what the hospital turned in to Blue Cross/Blue Shield (our insurance company).

 

We ended up paying a bit over $600. Now tell me this---did Blue Cross/Blue Shield pay the hospital over 24 grand?

 

I think not! And thus the under-the- table dealing applies. In the case of the 25 grand bill, we requested (demanded) an itemized bill. That's when the bill dropped to $600.

 

fritz

[724wd]

boy, i just got dinged over $2000 for my latest kidney stone adventure. emergency room visit, three day stay for observation while waiting for it to pass (it didn't), urology visit, then a procedure to go after the stone. oh, and then the stint removal from bladder to kidney (while i was awake! ugh! boy i hope never again!) most of the bills were small. anesthesisologist (sp), emergency room docs, urologist procedures... then i get the hospital saty bill! over $1770! i called them to set up a payment plan and the lowest they would go was $200 a month. i guess we'll see what happens when i can't make that! and all this is after the insurance paid their "portion"

[AzRednek]

We ended up paying a bit over $600. Now tell me this---did Blue Cross/Blue Shield pay the hospital over 24 grand?

 

I think not! And thus the under-the- table dealing applies.

 

fritz

 

It is not exactly under handed. Insurance co's cut deals with hospitals and call it a PPO facility. My B/C B/S will cover me at any hospital anywhere in the world. If I go to one of the Blues Preferred Provider Org's my co-pay or what insurance co's call "patient's out of pocket expense" is smaller. In return hospitals, pharmacys, Dr's etc give the Blues a substantial discount for steering patients their way rather than another hospital or facility across town. Insurance co's in order to receive the discounts and lower fees have to pay the bill promtly, usually within a number of days specified in the contract. It is perfectly legal, simply because the govt gets the same discounts. Instead of calling it a PPO hospital, the govt calls it a Medicare approved facilty.

 

 

 

[fritz]

Well, the way I see it is this--cutting deals with doctors and pharmacies and hospitals is still under-the-table and sinnister. Somebody will pay in the long term.

 

And we pay for it all in higher insurance premiums. Are you satisfied with your premiums, as compared to what you receive in benefits? The hospital is.

 

I am not. BTW, the hospital that sent us the 25 grand bill is a member of our Blue Cross/Blue Shield network. But I do not see any benefit from being in the network (with a bill for 25 grand for an overnight stay).

 

I guess if that hospital was not in our network, the bill would have been 50 grand.

 

fritz

[usmc0332]

We were not accustomed to having collection calls 5+ times a day, one of which was at dinnertime every day. My BC/BS pays poorly for psychiatric care. One of my children had a 24 day hospitalised treatment. Our portion was $15,000. We paid it and shorted ourselves everywhere else. Paying the bloodsucking hospital has ruined us. I could swallow it a bit better if it had helped. There is a government program to help people in our situation. They backpaid to the day after her hospital stay. Thanks for little. She is eligable for Social Security. Try to collect that in a situation like this. It might have saved us. My wife went back to work. She is gone from 6pm until 4am wed-sun, then sleeps. I get home between 6pm and 7pm mon-thurs. A far cry from when she was at home, the life we lived for almost all of our 12 year marriage. Kinda makes me feel like a single parent to 3. Just yesterday I realised how sorry I was feeling for myself. I am done with feeling depressed and hopeless over these issues. I am done letting life kick my ass. Pick myself up, dust myself off, start all over again. I have probaly told too much, but I would never want anyone else to make the same mistakes we did. Pay the hospital last, even after taking your wife out for a nice dinner.

[AzRednek]

Well, the way I see it is this--cutting deals with doctors and pharmacies and hospitals is still under-the-table and sinnister. "Somebody will pay in the long term". Can't argue with that. We see a classic example right here. USMC likely paid an inflated amount to cover the cost of an HMO patient that practically paid nothing out of their own pocket and their insurance co got a substatial discount.

 

And we pay for it all in higher insurance premiums. Are you satisfied with your premiums, as compared to what you receive in benefits? I'm satisfied simply because I managed to get enough years in to qualify as a federal retiree and continue in their health and life insurance programs. After having a stress related heart attack in my 40's working practically every hour I was awake. I found out what health and life insurance was going to cost me if I quit my govt job. I had to give up some business interests to preserve my health but to get coverage like I've got today for a few hundred per month, would cost me a few g's per month just for the health insurance alone as a high risk individual. I didn't even try to find out what high risk life insurance would have cost me

 

I am not. BTW, the hospital that sent us the 25 grand bill is a member of our Blue Cross/Blue Shield network. But I do not see any benefit from being in the network (with a bill for 25 grand for an overnight stay).

 

I guess if that hospital was not in our network, the bill would have been 50 grand. Chances are good the hospital billed you for the entire amount. The hospitals as well as many medical vendors are entitled to the full amount in the case of a 3rd party claim or secondary insurance and usually cut a bill for the entire amount. Your statement from Blues should show total amount, what was actually paid and your final liability.

 

In summary, when I see the full amount I would have to pay for Rx's I use daily, I consider myself lucky. The downside I recently went to a non-ppo Dr after being frustrated with repeat visits elsewhere. I haven't seen the final damage yet but it looks like things are fixed and it was getting to the point I didn't care what it cost

 

fritz

 

[AzRednek]

We were not accustomed to having collection calls 5+ times a day, one of which was at dinnertime every day.

 

Keith as a landlord I've been hammered twice trying to collect money I was owed. Do a net search on dealing with bill collectors and find out what your rights are. I was given a written warning from the phone company and threatened with pulling the plug on my service and possible civil and criminal charges. I don't know the exact nature of the complaint, presume it was exaggurated but there are legal limits to phone calls in debt collection. A former tenant sent me a letter telling me to no longer phone him at home or work. I did anyway and the SHTF.

 

[fritz]

"Your statement from Blues should show total amount, what was actually paid and your final liability. "

 

 

It showed my liability ($600) but it DID NOT show what was actually paid.

 

And that is why I claim there was something sinnister going on.

 

fritz