ER Costs Outrage

[bebe]

Date: 4/8/2009 9:36:46 AM
Author: LtlFirecracker
I agree that bebe was doing what she has thought was best. I have had more than one occasion where I doing the physical exam to r/o meningitis in someone who, at the end of the day, had a sore throat (I have never actually gone so far to do a spinal tap on someone with a sore throat). If the lymph nodes in the throat are large enough, they can cause neck pain, and many of them are associated with headaches. If it was truly bacterial meningitis, it could not have waited until the next day, and the clinic would have just sent him to the ER.

I am sorry about this bill. Have you started working with your insurance company? Can you discuss this with the hospital, ask for an itemized list. Most ER''s (from what little I know), can not get a lot of money from the insurance company for what they did. Find out how they are justifying their 2k bill.

As soon as I get the itemized bill, I will examine it line by line. I know my insurance co. can''t fix it for me, but I will tell them what happened. DH said he will call the hospital to go over it as well. If in fact the bill is legit, then that''s what it is. I''m not totally foreign to ER''s. My mom (91yrs.) is rushed to one about every 3 mos. I take care of her bills. Her costs don''t seem this high - dunno maybe it''s different hospitals.

 

[honey22]

Date: 4/7/2009 1:22:03 AM
Author: Deelight

Date: 4/6/2009 9:04:50 PM
Author: kama_s

You have GOT to be kidding me. That''s outrageous. I just can''t wrap my head around it. I really hope you dont have to pay it all.


ER visits are completely 100% free here in Canada.

Ditto, they are completly free in Australia too - so what happens if your dying/injured badly need to go to the ER and can''t afford to pay?

I just can''t comprehend such an advanced civilized country such as the US not having free health care - I am totally flabbergastered! Makes me happy (and relieved) to live in Australia!!!

 

[swingirl]

Your son's symptoms warranted a trip to the ER. If he did have meningitis an extra day could have been too much to wait. Being away from home and really in pain is scary. For all parents that send their kids away to school 1) have them immunized for meningitis and 2) check around to let them know where to go in an emergency.

My daughter's friend DID have meningitis but rather than go to the ER he decided "it wasn't that bad" and chose to drive home for 2 1/2 hours. When he finally made it home he was so out-of-it that he went right to bed and by the morning had encephalitis, kidney failure and ended up in a comma for 7 days.

Hope you can get your insurance to cover your costs. It seems when you go to the ER you aren't able to check your insurance coverage because it's an EMERGENCY!

 

[bebe]

Date: 4/11/2009 4:12:13 AM
Author: swingirl
Your son''s symptoms warranted a trip to the ER. If he did have meningitis an extra day could have been too much to wait. Being away from home and really in pain is scary. For all parents that send their kids away to school 1) have them immunized for meningitis and 2) check around to let them know where to go in an emergency.

My daughter''s friend DID have meningitis but rather than go to the ER he decided ''it wasn''t that bad'' and chose to drive home for 2 1/2 hours. When he finally made it home he was so out-of-it that he went right to bed and by the morning had encephalitis, kidney failure and ended up in a comma for 7 days.

Hope you can get your insurance to cover your costs. It seems when you go to the ER you aren''t able to check your insurance coverage because it''s an EMERGENCY!

exactly swingirl, he called us to let us know he was on his way to the ER. Not knowing the town, we were clueless as which hospital was on our plan.
But I know NOW !!

 

[beau13]

Date: 4/6/2009 9:04:50 PM
Author: kama_s

You have GOT to be kidding me. That''s outrageous. I just can''t wrap my head around it. I really hope you dont have to pay it all.

ER visits are completely 100% free here in Canada.

I can''t imagine that either...YIKES!

We are very fortunate to have doctor/hospital visits paid for Kama!
It''s no wonder some of my friends in the US don''t go see a doctor unless they are on their death bed!
Here in Canada, when you go to a walk in clinic..there are people there waiting for hours for something like the common cold or flu..guess they wouldn''t be so quick to see a doc..if they had to pay for it! I imagine some US citizens have insurance to cover hospital bills? Is that something you as an individual pay for, or does your employer provide some of these benefits??

 

[VegasAngel]

That is a big bill though I''m not shocked, even with insurance I feel like i''m being robbed

. After reviewing it ask them if they will lower the bill if you pay in full. Doesn''t hurt to ask if they can reduce it some.

 

[VegasAngel]

Date: 4/12/2009 11:13:43 AM
Author: beau13

Date: 4/6/2009 9:04:50 PM
Author: kama_s

You have GOT to be kidding me. That''s outrageous. I just can''t wrap my head around it. I really hope you dont have to pay it all.

ER visits are completely 100% free here in Canada.

I can''t imagine that either...YIKES!

We are very fortunate to have doctor/hospital visits paid for Kama!
It''s no wonder some of my friends in the US don''t go see a doctor unless they are on their death bed!
Here in Canada, when you go to a walk in clinic..there are people there waiting for hours for something like the common cold or flu..guess they wouldn''t be so quick to see a doc..if they had to pay for it! I imagine some US citizens have insurance to cover hospital bills? Is that something you as an individual pay for, or does your employer provide some of these benefits??

I just purchased health insurance for my 3 year old. We pay $128 per month $1,500 deductible. We have to pay $40 each time she goes to the Dr. If we need to take her to the E.R. the co-pay is $100. Certain services arent covered until that $1500 is paid.

 

[diamondringlover]

Hope your son is feeling better, I work for a large US medical insurance company and it should not matter that you son went to an out of network facility, most insurance plans pay at the in network benefits for ER visits, unless they deemed it a "non medical emergency" (their words not mine lol) and alot of policies have a lower benefit level for what the insurance company considers a non emergency visit. If this is the case (of course I dont know since I dont know you or what kind of insurance you have) you can obtain the medical records from the hospital and file an appeal with the insurance company and usually a nurse or a medical doctor on their staff will review the records and sometime they will change thier decision and pay at the higher benefit level. I personally have had this happen to me and my insurance company (not the one I work for) changed there decision and paid more money, my out of pocket went from $460 to $100 (my copay). Good luck.

 

[movie zombie]

make them a cash offer to pay off right now. otherwise, string it out in payments.....? works in some cases as they''d rather have cash in hand at a discount than wait over a period of time for payments.

mz

 

[fleur.de.lys.88]

Date: 4/8/2009 11:32:59 AM
Author: bebe

Date: 4/8/2009 9:36:46 AM

Author: LtlFirecracker

I agree that bebe was doing what she has thought was best. I have had more than one occasion where I doing the physical exam to r/o meningitis in someone who, at the end of the day, had a sore throat (I have never actually gone so far to do a spinal tap on someone with a sore throat). If the lymph nodes in the throat are large enough, they can cause neck pain, and many of them are associated with headaches. If it was truly bacterial meningitis, it could not have waited until the next day, and the clinic would have just sent him to the ER.


I am sorry about this bill. Have you started working with your insurance company? Can you discuss this with the hospital, ask for an itemized list. Most ER's (from what little I know), can not get a lot of money from the insurance company for what they did. Find out how they are justifying their 2k bill.

As soon as I get the itemized bill, I will examine it line by line. I know my insurance co. can't fix it for me, but I will tell them what happened. DH said he will call the hospital to go over it as well. If in fact the bill is legit, then that's what it is. I'm not totally foreign to ER's. My mom (91yrs.) is rushed to one about every 3 mos. I take care of her bills. Her costs don't seem this high - dunno maybe it's different hospitals.

Definitely check it line by line Bebe. A few years back my mom was in the hospital for 4 days with a kidney infection and the bill was over $75,000. We were fortunate that the her insurance covered all but the $3000 deductible. We were still appalled at the astronomical costs for such a short stay. When we checked the invoice we discovered they charged thousands of dollars for medication that was never given, over $500 for a tube of desitin and so on and so on. After calling the head of the hospital and royally b!tching, he admitted that they may have charged too much (do you think?!) and reduced the amount by nearly $10,000. It's crazy what they try to get away with.

 

[jcarlylew]

Date: 4/12/2009 10:16:57 PM
Author: fleur.de.lys.88
When we checked the invoice we discovered they charged thousands of dollars for medication that was never given, over $500 for a tube of desitin and so on and so on. After calling the head of the hospital and royally b!tching, he admitted that they may have charged too much (do you think?!) and reduced the amount by nearly $10,000. It''s crazy what they try to get away with.

great

I assume then my cup of ice is going to be near 300 bucks *sigh*

As an underpaid, paycheck to paycheck person, i competely understand why people refuse to go to the doctor/er until they are on their death bed. when i broke my foot last week, i (at first) refused to go to the hospital because rent was due. its tough deciding between the two.

 

[VegasAngel]

Something to look into if you cant/dont get it resolved http://www.billadvocates.com/HOME/tabid/36/Default.aspx