Hellloo medical giant bill~!!!
-Amanda-
on 8/3/12 4:20 am
on 8/3/12 4:20 am
Okay friends, i have to ask has anyone had this happen to them?
Maybe someone can offer advice ?
Im obviously green..
I got approved for surgery, and called hosptial to find out what left over bills after my insurance paid their part would i need to pay ,because if they were to high, i wouldnt be able to have the surgery. and if it was an okay amount i needed to get set up on payment arrangements.
I spoke to the financial Dept.
The nice lady on the other end tells me, oh,
Dont worry about it .Our hospital excepts what ever the amount my insurance companies pay. Wow!!! i said really? I asked her to put that in writting and that i needed her name , she tells me not to worry everyone in her dept. knows this is how they handle things and i dont need that.
Thats just awesome, So i have the surgery thinking i was good to go.
I even told people about them and how wonderful they were to be like that. Boy was i a fool.
Okay well i just got a bill for 38,000 dollars!!!
What can i doo? Anyone with ideas?
Im an idiot!!!
i could have went to spain and pain 20k if i had that kind of money.
Depressed and broke. :(
Maybe someone can offer advice ?
Im obviously green..
I got approved for surgery, and called hosptial to find out what left over bills after my insurance paid their part would i need to pay ,because if they were to high, i wouldnt be able to have the surgery. and if it was an okay amount i needed to get set up on payment arrangements.
I spoke to the financial Dept.
The nice lady on the other end tells me, oh,
Dont worry about it .Our hospital excepts what ever the amount my insurance companies pay. Wow!!! i said really? I asked her to put that in writting and that i needed her name , she tells me not to worry everyone in her dept. knows this is how they handle things and i dont need that.
Thats just awesome, So i have the surgery thinking i was good to go.
I even told people about them and how wonderful they were to be like that. Boy was i a fool.
Okay well i just got a bill for 38,000 dollars!!!
What can i doo? Anyone with ideas?
Im an idiot!!!
i could have went to spain and pain 20k if i had that kind of money.
Depressed and broke. :(
Take deep breaths. Don't panic.
First, are you sure that it's a bill and not just a statement? I receive statements from my insurance company about everything they pay, and if your document came from the insurance company it is not a bill and not representative of the hospital.
If you are sure it's a bill, have you spoken to anyone at the hospital (or their billing office) about it yet?
Lastly, are there any out-of-pocket limits? My insurance has an annual OOP limit of $3k. Anything I am charged over that amount is covered 100% by my insurance company. If it is a bill and your hospital's billing office insists you pay it, you may have more luck requiring your insurance to stick to their OOP limitations than trying to argue the bill.
One thing you've got to be careful with is that usually everyone who has a part in your surgery bills you separately. The person you spoke to on the phone may have been telling you the truth. If she represented your surgeon, perhaps you owe him no more than what your insurance paid, but you're now receiving a bill for the hospital, the anesthesiologist, and any other "supplies" or "services".
Assuming there is no way out of paying this bill, I would make sure to get everything you're charged for in a line by line item description. That way you can make sure they didn't pad the bill.
Good luc****rtainly want to hear how this comes out.
First, are you sure that it's a bill and not just a statement? I receive statements from my insurance company about everything they pay, and if your document came from the insurance company it is not a bill and not representative of the hospital.
If you are sure it's a bill, have you spoken to anyone at the hospital (or their billing office) about it yet?
Lastly, are there any out-of-pocket limits? My insurance has an annual OOP limit of $3k. Anything I am charged over that amount is covered 100% by my insurance company. If it is a bill and your hospital's billing office insists you pay it, you may have more luck requiring your insurance to stick to their OOP limitations than trying to argue the bill.
One thing you've got to be careful with is that usually everyone who has a part in your surgery bills you separately. The person you spoke to on the phone may have been telling you the truth. If she represented your surgeon, perhaps you owe him no more than what your insurance paid, but you're now receiving a bill for the hospital, the anesthesiologist, and any other "supplies" or "services".
Assuming there is no way out of paying this bill, I would make sure to get everything you're charged for in a line by line item description. That way you can make sure they didn't pad the bill.
Good luc****rtainly want to hear how this comes out.
Tera
-Amanda-
on 8/3/12 7:49 am
on 8/3/12 7:49 am
Thanks for thhe reply and yes its a bill,
I already called the hospital back and they said , well that was left from my bill.
My insurance paid 48,000 of it and this is mine so they say.
I told the lady what was told before surgery and she said she sure why he person
Told me that but yes they do except payments.
I almost past out when she told me this.
I already called the hospital back and they said , well that was left from my bill.
My insurance paid 48,000 of it and this is mine so they say.
I told the lady what was told before surgery and she said she sure why he person
Told me that but yes they do except payments.
I almost past out when she told me this.
Ok, well, I would still ask for an itemized statement so that you can dispute charges that were applied in error (if there are any, and it happens all the time).
Other than that, I think you'll have to seek legal advice, because this is out of my depth. I'm pretty sure you signed something that said you'll pay anything your insurance company doesn't. (I get that form all the time from doctors.) Anything in writing is going to trump what some office person said on the phone.
Please keep us informed.
Other than that, I think you'll have to seek legal advice, because this is out of my depth. I'm pretty sure you signed something that said you'll pay anything your insurance company doesn't. (I get that form all the time from doctors.) Anything in writing is going to trump what some office person said on the phone.
Please keep us informed.
Okay, I may be a silly Canuck, but are they trying to say that the surgery cost $86,000??? WTF? I thought even self-pay in the states was more like $40,000 tops. What a scam!!!
Oh wait, I know what happened...maybe you forgot to tell them you didn't want the 14 karat gold staples.
Sorry, to hear about this. This should be a happy time. Wishing you well.
Oh wait, I know what happened...maybe you forgot to tell them you didn't want the 14 karat gold staples.
Sorry, to hear about this. This should be a happy time. Wishing you well.
HW: 365, SW (August 11, 2012): 351
k9ophile
on 8/3/12 10:58 am
on 8/3/12 10:58 am
American health insurance and payments to providers are a mystery to just about everyone. Insurance companies and hospitals make deals in the devil's closet. My DS bill was around $86,000. My insurance paid a deeply discounted amount. The hospital then billed my secondary insurance for the balance. My secondary refused to pay stating that the hospital had agreed to to accept what my primary paid. It further stated that if they tried to collect the balance from me, it would negate any deal they had when my secondary was other patient's primary. Confused? Anyway, the hospital had to write off what I "owed" Also, it's not unusual for a hospital to offer a discount to self-pay patients then collect more from other patient's insurance companies for the same service.
As for the OP, I would be truly shocked if any hospital put their expected payment in writing. It's all voodoo and magicians and hospitals almost never reveal their secrets. And when they do, it's almost always misleading. I just had a test and the hospital called my insurance to see what the payment was. When I registered they said it was all paid for by my insurance. However, according to the statement from my insurance company, I owe $38.
As for the OP, I would be truly shocked if any hospital put their expected payment in writing. It's all voodoo and magicians and hospitals almost never reveal their secrets. And when they do, it's almost always misleading. I just had a test and the hospital called my insurance to see what the payment was. When I registered they said it was all paid for by my insurance. However, according to the statement from my insurance company, I owe $38.
"Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us." Stephen Covey
Don't litter! Spay or neuter your pet
Read your Insurance coverage carefully then the insurance company. If you were approved and have a max out of pocket then you should be fine. They can deal with the Hospital. It is common to get a bill "for the balance" Tons of people just pay it with out questioning it and the hoslital will gladly accept.
I ave a 70/30 with a max of 5,000 out of pocket. So the most I will pay is 5k. But of course I have to be approved for surgery first.
Good Luck.
Whit
I ave a 70/30 with a max of 5,000 out of pocket. So the most I will pay is 5k. But of course I have to be approved for surgery first.
Good Luck.
Whit
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