In case you need to know TMI but I am livid

[lifesavacation]

Tink- glad you got the medical help you needed and hope everyone is right about it being billed wrong or just an explanation of benefits. If for some reason it is correct- contact hospital and see if they will work with you.

Just FYI for anyone needing non-emergency scan. Check prices at offsite imaging centers. A couple years ago not knowing better I had heart scan at hospital $1500 - needed again a few months later checked offsite and it was $350. I now go there yearly when I need - my cardiologist was shocked at price difference. Those were my out of pocket costs.

Take care of yourself Tink

Man, reading that kinda ticks me off at our health care system. I guess we all need to start calling around first before we have these procedures.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

EURGH. Well you have to have medical treatment for something like that.

I feel your pain. A hospital once tried to take me to collections over $8000 - guess what I had done? I needed ONE nebulizer treatment with albuterol. Something that costs pennies if you happen to have all your nebulizer equipment with you. *siiiiiiiiiiiiigh* worse, the hospital billing dept. said that it was actually a Policy that had been made that they would NOT bill out-of-state insurance. Naturally I lived within 30 miles of that state's border... so I had to wait until a collection agency bought the debt and then negotiated it down to a $800 payment. Now as I understand, legally they can no longer do that, but it was a serious mess in my life at the time...

 

[zoo2tycoon]

Another bit of advice is most places will work out a no interest payment plan- I set up for my oldest son when he incurred bills. We figured what he could pay and after he said they could talk to me since over 18 I was able to set up -

We had one place write off several thousand dollars for him.

Main thing was being polite, double checking with insurance to make sure no mistakes with final bill amount and being polite polite polite. I took names of who I talked to. Kept all voice mails and documented everything.

Good luck Tink

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Anyone else think the price seems whacked?
I could easily see $1,600 but $16,000?

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Tink has anything been resolved yet?

 

[kimblebee]

EURGH. Well you have to have medical treatment for something like that.

I feel your pain. A hospital once tried to take me to collections over $8000 - guess what I had done? I needed ONE nebulizer treatment with albuterol. Something that costs pennies if you happen to have all your nebulizer equipment with you. *siiiiiiiiiiiiigh* worse, the hospital billing dept. said that it was actually a Policy that had been made that they would NOT bill out-of-state insurance. Naturally I lived within 30 miles of that state's border... so I had to wait until a collection agency bought the debt and then negotiated it down to a $800 payment. Now as I understand, legally they can no longer do that, but it was a serious mess in my life at the time...

When my daughter was younger, we spent more than a few nights at the children’s hospital while she got these exact treatments. $800 a pop is sobering.

I really feel for everyone who delays or refuses medical care because of the expense.

 

[Lori74]

Anyone else think the price seems whacked?
I could easily see $1,600 but $16,000?

i just had a cat scan for kidney stone a few weeks ago and it was just over $4000
i'm guessing this bill is before insurance was paid, but still seems an outrageous charge

 

[pweyl36]

Are you sure what you're looking at isn't an "Estimate of Services", and not a bill?

You need to talk to the Billing Dept of the ER you went to and tell them you are unclear on your charges and insurance. Make sure they have the right insurance card numbers, and maybe they can sort it all out. I talk to them a lot for different things and they're pretty good.

Might be an EOB and not a actual bill.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Tink did your mom get it sorted out?

 

[cruiser21]

I got stung by a scorpion and needed anti venom. Most people don't I was one of the 1 in a million. Anyway the antivenon was 32,000 dollars. I've heard it's made in Mexico for about 100 dollars a dose. I don't know if this is true, but I tend to believe it sense scorpions are plentiful. Anti venom is made from Venom. We're not talking about some rare poisonous spider.
Health care costs are ridiculous.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Anyone else think the price seems whacked?
I could easily see $1,600 but $16,000?

No-I had a Kidney Stone at Disney and was transported to Dr Phillips hospital by EMS. No EMS bill from Disney, but did get billed just under $22,000 for my 3 hour stay in the ER. There was some concern about my pulse dropping but that is common when I get in severe pain.

After insurance my bill was $1300, in which they offered a 20% discount if I paid it in full.

You also need to watch where you get work done. I was sent for follow up lab work by a urologist here in KY-they wanted a $250 co-pay at our local hospital. I walked back up to the office and said I was not paying that for labs. They re wrote the order and I went to Labcorp-my cost was $16.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

They told her to send the bill in with a letter

 

[candy0730]

Did you ask the provider of services if they sent the bill to the correct insurance company? Could be as simple as sending the bill to the right insurance carrier. You can also call your insurance and ask if they received the bill and paid some of it. Take a breath and make a few calls.

 

[DisneyOma]

I just have to say (not to cause any discourse, just an observation as a Canadian)...it really still just shocks me when I see people say they have to pay this amount of money for medical services.

That's what insurance is for - they pay for the expenses, we pay monthly fee. I've never had to pay more than a few hundred dollars for 1. the births of both daughters, with lots of hospital time for both (preemie, difficult pregnancy, etc) 2. abdominal surgery 3. reconstruction of a finger, with titanium screws 4. cancer surgery

 

[marcyleecorgan]

They told her to send the bill in with a letter

Make sure she sends it registered mail!!!! That way it is official communication that will hold up in a court of law (should it come to that).

and make sure she takes a digital scan or several photocopies BEFORE she mails the only copy of this bill you have.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Good luck!
I’m sure it will be straightened out if the insurance info was billed incorrectly.
Glad you are Ok!

 

[ponyboy]

5mm is a decent sized stone. I've had a 6mm and 10mm that they had to do surgery on and actually the 6mm one hurt worse. I'm not a wimp, I'm had more injuries and surgeries for injuries than I can count and I honestly thought I was dying. I had no idea you could be in that much pain and not die. In between those two I've had some smaller ones that were pretty uncomfortable and a couple others that I went to the ER for. I'm an expert enough now that I know about how much I can tolerate before the real pain sets in and I'll go straight to the ER and tell them I want dilaudid.

Good luck with the bill and don't feel bad for going to the ER. They can turn into a real issue in a hurry sometimes.

 

[kimblebee]

5mm is a decent sized stone. I've had a 6mm and 10mm that they had to do surgery on and actually the 6mm one hurt worse. I'm not a wimp, I'm had more injuries and surgeries for injuries than I can count and I honestly thought I was dying. I had no idea you could be in that much pain and not die. In between those two I've had some smaller ones that were pretty uncomfortable and a couple others that I went to the ER for. I'm an expert enough now that I know about how much I can tolerate before the real pain sets in and I'll go straight to the ER and tell them I want dilaudid.

Good luck with the bill and don't feel bad for going to the ER. They can turn into a real issue in a hurry sometimes.

I had two 5mm stones last year..3 weeks after major surgery. It was a 9.9 out of 10 on the pain scale. I’ve had a 10 and this was just a hair less. It’s amazing how something so small can cause such harm.

I’m usually half way concerned about how I look in public..when I went to the ER the first time I was in my pj’s, unbrushed hair, and bawling my eyes out.

 

[ponyboy]

I had two 5mm stones last year..3 weeks after major surgery. It was a 9.9 out of 10 on the pain scale. I’ve had a 10 and this was just a hair less. It’s amazing how something so small can cause such harm.

I’m usually half way concerned about how I look in public..when I went to the ER the first time I was in my pj’s, unbrushed hair, and bawling my eyes out.

I know exactly what you're talking about.

I was hurting so bad one night I drove myself to the ER between the waves of pain and after they checked me in and told me to wait in the waiting room I just laid down on the dirty floor in the hallway instead. It was tile and was so cold and the most comfortable place, all things taken into consideration, that I could spot.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I find hospital insurance billers to be pretty incompetent. Especially when we had two insurances.