Big Poppa Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 This doesn't include the other $4,000 in bills I have from the emergency room, and the anesthesiologist etc... Where do they even come up with these numbers? Do they really think they can send a bill like this to someone and get paid? Ya, I can't afford health insurance, but hey, this? No sweat!! I may be faking my own death soon.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P51tj Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Damn dude, that is UGLY!!! And it looks like they want it all NOW!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCMSH Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Use you're ripped new look to become a male prostitute Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertdawg Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Send them $73.49 and write paid in full across the bill... Whiteout can be your friend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chameleon Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Chris, Is that bill itemized? Every item (aspirin, bandage, whatever) listed individually? If not, call the hospital and ask for an itemized bill. They are required by state law to provide one to you. Tell them that as soon as you review your itemized bill, you will contact them regarding payment arrangements. BE NICE when you talk to them - honey works, vinegar does not. Once you get the itemized bill, look at it closely. Are you being double-billed for anything? Are you being billed for anything you don't remember receiving? If so, make note of those items. If you will send me a copy of your itemized bill I will check it against the state records to make sure you are not being overcharged. They cannot legally charge you more than the rates on file with the state health department. I will also do some digging as to their normal reimbursement rates from insurance companies for cases with your DRG. (billing is based on this code, which is too complicated to explain here). If you see a DRG noted on your bill, please post up that number for me. It will be a three or four digit number. That is all I need to get started. After we do the above, you will have the information necessary for negotiating with the hospital to lower the total charge, and then further negotiate for some kind of payments you can manage without ruining your credit. Donna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Poppa Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Ya, it's not itemized, it's just big. I already submitted all the paperwork to the hospital for their charity program that they are supposed to used to lower the bill, but haven't heard back from them. I'll see about getting an itemized bill... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buccaneer Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 That's just NUTZ!! This is why this country needs a healthcare overall, but not ObamaTAX. Seeing this type of thing really pisses me off and reminds me of my wife's bills that came pouring in after two out of state surgery's and we had insurance...OMG! I feel your pain Chris and hope you can get it reduced to a reasonable fee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCMSH Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Don't let this get political kids Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Poppa Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 I'm tryin.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve@LPM Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Put a zero in the "amount paid" box and send it back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Poppa Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 I think I'm gonna draw a spider on it and send it back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChadC Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 one of the three most common reasons people file bankruptcy. good info Donna! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porvette Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 After having many bills ( Wives two times for cancer Treatment and my Stroke with 4 hospital visits ) even with insurance we have paid just over $65,000.00 out of our pockets in the past 5 years. The wives insurance has changed her co-pays , and now we have a $10,000.00 each year we must pay before ins. kicks in. I feel your pain.Let Donna help you she has the right idea. Good Luck ,and I hope who ever had to go to the hospital recovers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 ...and one of the least looked at by creditors. Sux Chris, you're not alone though, I'm just realizing why I didn't want to get married in the first place... inheritance of debt. Hospitals are so overpriced, you gotta wonder if more people would pay them if the bills were not so frikin high. The first thing I would say if I opened that envelop woud be , Ha! fung goo buddy! you can dig it outta my sphincter! OH!...and you'll be needing an anesthesiologist if ya do, it'll be less painful for you.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfoot Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I'd almost be willing to bet that the amount would be significantly higher (bill wise, not what you are supposed to pay) if you had insurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertdawg Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 After we do the above, you will have the information necessary for negotiating with the hospital to lower the total charge, and then further negotiate for some kind of payments you can manage without ruining your credit. Donna How awesome is that? Donna is Awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 After we do the above, you will have the information necessary for negotiating with the hospital to lower the total charge, and then further negotiate for some kind of payments you can manage without ruining your credit. Donna How awesome is that? Donna is Awesome! Oops, Donna is Awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChadC Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I'd almost be willing to bet that the amount would be significantly higher (bill wise, not what you are supposed to pay) if you had insurance. actually its the opposite. the insurance company says "we do so much business with you, lower it to 1/3. Or we simply will not pay it and you have to wait 12 months while taking us to court" Hospitals have massive overhead (lights, people, equipment etc) while Insurance companies have 12 phone operators and an Excel spread sheet as overhead. Hospitals are at the mercy of the insurance company Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 A buddy of mine went through this. Granted it was only a $6,000 surgery, but as soon as the hospital found out he didn't have health insurance they cut the cut the bill to $3,000 and gave him the prescriptions for free. Then offered no interest financing on the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Also, don't be scared of bankruptcy if it's your only option. I had to do it when I was living way outside my means in southern California. I bought a new vehicle within three months and it was less than 10% interest. I have since bought two homes at less than 5% interest. Do what's best for you and f*ck eveybody else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOXXOH Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Hospitals send out outrageous bills, knowing full well that they'll never get paid the full amount. By claiming the difference between billings and receipts as a loss, they can either keep their non-profit status or pay no taxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Poppa Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Also, don't be scared of bankruptcy if it's your only option. I had to do it when I was living way outside my means in southern California. I bought a new vehicle within three months and it was less than 10% interest. I have since bought two homes at less than 5% interest. Do what's best for you and f*ck eveybody else. I filed about 4 years ago to get out from what my divorce created. So, if this doesn't get waaayyy better, I may try to just make arrangements and then file when I can. I'd like to avoid it, but... We'll see how it all plays out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chameleon Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Okay, time to clear up a few misconceptions. Every hospital has what is called a “Chargemaster.” This is the standard rate they charge for every supply or service they provide. The itemized bill I asked Chris to provide will allow me to compare the individual item charges he has received to that hospital’s Chargemaster, which is on file at the state health department. The Chargemasters are public record, so I am not doing anything secret. Any of you could go down to the health department and look at it . In general, hospitals enter into contracts with the various ‘payers’ (insurance companies, Medicare, Medicaid, Tri-Care, etc.). Most of you are probably familiar with the concept of “in network” versus “out of network” coverage. Those contracts determine what the hospital will receive as payment for care provided to a patient with a given insurance. In essence, the hospital agrees to take a smaller payment than their standard rate, but in return they will see more patients, as they are now in that insurance carrier’s network. This is good for the hospital, because the more patient volume a hospital has of patients who are capable of paying for their care, the better equipped the hospital is to deal with all the ‘uncompensated care’ they provide (more on this below). A patient with insurance coverage that is not contracted to a particular hospital will be charged their standard rate, and in this regard, Chad is correct that negotiation may take place on that bill. Further, in this situation, the hospital may come after the patient for payment of the difference between what was billed and what the insurance company ultimately paid. Patients without health insurance are charged the standard rates, as reflected in the Chargemaster. Are those rates outrageous? Yes, they are. But, there's more to the picture than is readily apparent. Every hospital that participates (i.e. contracts) with Medicare and/or Medicaid (and that is virtually all of them) is required to be in compliance with the associated federal regulations. Among those is a regulation that a hospital must at least triage any person that presents to their hospital, regardless of ability to pay. Basically, they can’t turn anyone away. This law was passed to put an end to ‘patient dumping’ which used to occur when hospitals would refuse to receive patients who did not have insurance; the patient would be in an ambulance and the EMT’s weren’t allowed to unload them. Very bad. Hospital care is expensive. The emergency room is the most expensive place that people seek routine care. However, because hospitals cannot turn them away, the uninsured, the unemployed, the illegal resident, all go to the emergency room for conditions that the average person with insurance would take to their physician, or possibly urgent care. They go to the emergency room, because they can go there and get treated, and not pay for it. The hospitals cannot collect from these folks (can’t get blood out of a turnip, ya know), and they can’t give away free care and stay in business. As Chad mentioned, they have overhead. Lots of it. I won’t even go into the cost of malpractice insurance. Anyway, the hospitals set their rates to attempt to compensate for the expenses they are swallowing in the form of uncompensated care. In short, those able to pay get stuck footing the bill for those who can’t, or won’t. It is a huge problem with no easy answers, which is how we ended up with the current federal health care bill, which has become very political. Politics aside, this is a human issue. Some people work hard and simply can’t afford insurance. Others are basically deadbeats, work as little as possible and wouldn’t pay if they could. It is a fact of human society. The fraction that don't contribute create a burden carried by those who do contribute. Love it or hate it, the current health care bill is attempting create and require what every functioning insurance pool must have; a large population of people paying into the pool, with only a fraction needing to draw out of it at any given time. This is the same way every type of insurance must work to remain viable. In order to provide health coverage to everyone, then everyone must, in one way or another, contribute. Whether the current health care bill will accomplish that remains to be seen. I haven’t personally read the 1,800 pages it contains, and my opinions I will not add here. By the way, I know of three hospitals within the last year alone that went bankrupt and closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Poppa Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 I hope who ever had to go to the hospital recovers. It was me. Gallbladder surgery. I was only in for 2 nights, simple procedures. I expected the bill to be in the 20,000 range. This was so out of line it made me laugh. Not laughing a lot now that it's sunk in, but the 73,000 may as well be a million. From my position, they look the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Extender32 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Yeah that pretty big but its nothing compared to what I got when my late wife was battleing cancer. When it was all said and done, the hospital bills, including Chemo were well over $1 Million. I still have all the statements in a 12x12x12 box just filled with invoices. Fortunately I had TriCare and my copays totaled about $5k. and I got reimbursed about $3k in traveling expenses going between Tucson and PHX 2-3 times per week. I certainly hope you win this fight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now