help insurance problems

i am on medicare/medicaide. i have a surgeon that i had to pay $1,000.00 up front after i had all the letters and everything together and had the consultation i was told i had to have another $4,000.00 before the surgery because medicare hasent been paying the surgeon iv'e spoken to a lot of people including my pcp and they all say that dosent sound right.they pay all the hospital bills but not the surgeon? has anyone else had this problem or do you know a surgeon that excepts my insurance without having to pay this amount upfront? if so i would love to hear from you. before i take out a 2nd mortgage on my home. brenda

This really doesn't sound right to me. Between Medicare and Medicaid, your bills really should be covered. I thought it sounded strange that you'd have to pay $1,000 up front because I would have thought that Medicaid would cover Medicare deductibles, doesn't it???? I would call the Medicare hot line and inquire about the legitimacy of this request. Good luck!! ~Jan

First thing I think I would find a new surgeon. The whole reason you are on Medicade is because you can't afford insurance or have NO way of getting it. Once you pay it out of pocket too bad. The Cleveland Clinic accepts medicade. Another the doctors bargain with medicade and come to an agreement as to what his services will cost. That is between them and Nobody else. He wants more then what he is getting. My advice get a new doctor. Think twice before you go paying out a lot of money. We all wanted the WLS. Remember Weight lose is a multi-billion dollar industry. Do your homework before you decide on your surgeon

Hiya Brenda,,,,I agree with all the other posts....OT hey there Kerri...anyhow...I also am on medicaid and from Holiday...I am going through Dr Murr in Tampa...you didn't mention what dr you were trying to go through was it here locally? anyhow definitely try for a different dr...gl and keep us posted on how you do...if you liked to email me do so sometime...take care have a great today and a better tomorrow!! April

Hey Brenda, I used to work for a surgeon. And we accepted Medicare/Medicaid patients. From the experience I've had, Medicare does not preapprove anything and if the physician's office does not have everything properly documented and in perfect order, Medicare will not pay. Sounds like to me if your surgeon's having trouble with getting paid that someone isn't documenting properly. And therefore he's trying to cover his butt by asking for his fee up front. Makes ya wonder if you pay him and then Medicare did pay him also, if he'd refund your $4k??? Karee

KAREE, I KNOW IT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME. AND MY PCP IS CHECKING INTO IT FOR ME. BUT YES HE DID SAY IF MEDICARE PAYS FOR IT THEY WILL REIMBURSE ME.BUT HE SAYS SO FAR THEY HAVENT WITH A FEW OF THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAD THE SURGERY, SO I DON'T KNOW. I DO HAVE A FRIEND THAT WORKS IN A DR'S OFFICE AND SHE CHECKED THE WEIGHT SURGERY AND WHAT WAS COVERED BY MEDICARE AND THEY SAID YES IT IS COVERED. BUT WHAT WILL I DO IF I CAN'T FIND ANOTHER SURGEON?AND MY ONLY WAY IS TO PAY. I FEEL LIKE $4.000.00IS A SMALL PRICE TO PAY FOR MY LIFE. AND I DO FEEL LIKE IT IS A MATTER AO LIFE AND DEATH FOR ME. I TAKE 23 PILLS AND 2 SHOTS A DAY. EVERYDAY FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS. AND I WANT TO LIVE TO SEE THAT DAY WHEN I NEVER HAVE TO WAKE UP TO THAT EVERY MORNING. I KNOW I HAVE TO TAKE VITAMINS FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE BUT I ALLREADY DO THAT ANYWAY. BRENDA

Brenda, Dr. Murr in Tampa takes Medicare and Medicaid. And he's awesome!! Karee