I spent 3 hours in the ER on the 15th. I just got my $11,000.00 bill in the mail.

reply to post by groingrinder


Glad to hear that your feeling better now.. Understand about not wanting to be a burden.. Hope that you can get help with the expenses..

Originally posted by JohnnyCanuck

Americans deserve better.

America will not accept a better solution.

I mean seriously we could design a military like medical system with centralized trauma centers, local clinics, efficient disease care and unified medical transport with centralized computer records and internet doctor and travelling nurse visits for initial and follow-up care but no one is ready for such a thing.

You could even pay doctors and healthcare professionals more under such a system.

Instead we have a broken piecemeal system where most of the money is put into the pockets of corporate insurance companies, lawyers, phamecutical companies, etc.

We already pay for it all.

Add up you insurance costs for automobile medical insurance, medical coverage on homeowners insurance, workmans compensation, medicare, health insurance, free coverage for illegals, medical lawsuits, medical malpractice insurance, disability benefits, social security, insurance for the beaurea of indain affairs, medical coverage for military, state, local and federal government workers, medical coverage for pensions, all the paperwork for billing and record keeping, etc, etc, etc

Hey i know, let's just pass a new law to reform the mess that we already have and add another new tax.

Fu@kin retarded we all are

reply to post by ladyinwaiting


Very well said.

So what in the world is wrong with some of you? Talk about jumping to a whole bunch of conclusions and literally attacking the integrity of the OP. What an ugly, unforntunate response.

To the OP: I think the biggest question here is the cost of the services you recieved. I work in an ER (at least, I used to. On-call now, got tired of exactly what others are talking about). Biggest mistake people make is to NOT question the bill.

Yes, it would APPEAR they gave you a huge discount, but I beg to differ. A typical ER visit is billed according to severity. It doesn't sound like you had an ambulance ride? So you weren't any higher than a two or three. The visit itself charged from the ER shouldn't be more than 500-700 MAX (that is BEFORE insurance discounts)

The ultrasound, so long as there wasn't an actuall procedure (with sedation or injection) should be more than 300-1,000 MAX. The tech was probably around 300.

You EKG shouldn't be more than 200-300 and the urianlysis around 50.00. The IV therapy was probably around 100-200 and depending on the drug/drugs anywhere from 25.00 to several hundred (depends on what you got)

If you had labwork done, that would be another 50.00 to several hundred, depending on what was done.

Did you have xrays or a CT scan or MRI? Did you have any kind of 'procedure' done? Did you have respiratory therapy? Did they send you out with 'pre-packs' of pain meds or antibiotics? Most people don't realize that what you can get at walmart for 3.00 will cost you 300.00 if the ER gives it to you!

Unless you had one of those expensive procedures or scans done (MRI can cost up to 3,000) than I highly doubt your bill was accurate. Even if you add up all the things you listed at the high end, it should have been a few thousand, MAX.

I recommend you make an appointment with the financial department to go over your bill line item by line item and explain the charge to you, and show the corresponding paperwork to prove the charge is legititmate. A simple improper code entered by the billing department can make a difference of thousands. Do it. I guarantee you they will end up reducing it much, much more!!!

Everybody probably could afford health insurance if they stopped spending money on so much needless crap. And everyone that ends up with medical bills should be forced to sell all their needless crap before begging someone else pay their doctor bills for them ... Or expect a doctor to work for free (as some seem to suggest should be). Sell your homes before taking money out of my pocket and food from my childrens mouths. And credit should be used in cases of medical emergencies, not for new iToys and vacations and other needless crap.

Sorry to hear... thats messed up.

Over in Australia, we get pretty much free health cover.
I went to the ER room one day with insane stabbing pains in my head. I had to spend the night, was fed all nesc drugs, they also took a CT Scan of my head to search for what was causing the pain.

Walked out the next day, no charges, no fees... nothing.

Sounds very unfair over in the US,

Originally posted by LarryLove
And you all complain about our 'socialist' UK medical system.

Look at our taxes.
We are already 'paying' for socialisem.
We are not getting it.

Originally posted by LarryLove
And you all complain about our 'socialist' UK medical system.

Look at our taxes.
We are already 'paying' for socialisem.
We are not getting it.

Originally posted by infadead
Over in Australia, we get pretty much free health cover.

Wow, how did you get all the doctors to work for free over there? Did you have to threaten them to work for free or what? That probably wouldn't work here in the USA, we have laws against involuntary servitude.

Originally posted by endtimer
reply to post by groingrinder

 

I'm not sure what the point is. You had all of these procedures done,
knowing you only have $50.00 a month, you knew this going to the
Medical Center. Now what? Are you mad at society or the Hospital
in general because they didn't wipe out the entire debt? You stated
that they took off $8,000 and have $3,000 left to pay off. I would say
that is a pretty darn good arrangement. What are you complaining
about? Suck it up and get a part time job. Do something besides
complaining to ATS.

edit on 28-12-2010 by endtimer because: (no reason given)

What a heartless response!
Your health system completely sucks and blows - the sooner you all get yourself a system such as we have in New Zealand, or they have in the UK, the better off you will all be.
If someone has an emergency they should not have to pay for it for the rest of their lives.
To put it in American English "This whole entire thing just makes me so darn mad!"
Vicky

reply to post by groingrinder


Sorry to come in late and have only read your Op, but the only thing you can do at this time is to offer them say 5 dollars per month and see where it goes from there, otherwise it will be best to talk with the hospital social worker and let them file for you, they could possibly get you some medical coverage.

I think health care is the least a government can provide considering how much folks pay in tax, not just income tax, there are so many other ways we pay tax, including the unemployed. Ask anyone in a country with a nhs type system if they want it gone, i bet you find very very few who would, and those you do, would be very very wealthy im guessing.
This video makes some great points, by a very talented young man

www.youtube.com...

much respect
ooter

reply to post by groingrinder


I WORK for a HOSPITAL and was charged 560 dollars for getting a script of Antibiotics...thats AFTER insurance...hence why I work for a Hospital...

dear grinder, i wish you the best.The American medical system sounds onerous in the extreme.
My advice, on your income ?Send them a buck a month and forget about it......
There is a great discrepancy going on here,Its not your fault.
Greed is what makes the world go mad,

For a country that's out and about "policing" the world, they do have such a crap health-care system. Down here in Australia though, only thing you have to pay a lot for is an ambulance, of which I agree with

Originally posted by Miraj
reply to post by groingrinder

 

It still costs money.. I don't agree with how much they charge however..

People that want health care to be "free" should realize that either: A) It's going to be paid for by someone. or B) Your health care will be the local medicine man who will sing some chants for you and grind up some herbal remedies. Who will probably still want at least a piece of chicken and some bread for his time.

Hospitals charge an insane amount on purpose. I got a bill once for 1.5k.. After my insurance company got to it, it was only about 300 dollars.. Since I have insurance it only cost me 15 dollars.

Here's what I had done: Sticthes in my hand.. So basically all that cost them was the room and the nurses time, since I never even saw a doctor.

I'd prefer the NHS system to be honest. But that's 'communism' /sarcasm.

People that slam the health care system for charging for health care need to realize that money makes the world go round, and the only reason we have the technology, medication, and procedures along with research developed is because there was money put into the system that allowed it to be possible.. That was the point of my post. It doesn't just magically appear just to save you from your illness. Hope you get better, and I hope that you find a way that you can pay them without a large burden to your finances.

Let me explain how it works here (New Zealand).
My son is a staff nurse on the cardiothoracic ward at Wellington Hospital - the premier cardiac ward in the country. They use and have the best technology available in the world.
If anyone has an MI, and is brought in, they will have tests and treatment and it will cost them nothing. Zip, nada, niente, goose egg nothing!
That's because our system is paid for by taxation. And it works very well.
Vicky

I'm not quite sure what to say, It's a very stiff bill but they did wipe $8k from it.
I had a shoulder op in 2007, & I can only imagine that if I had the op done in the US that I wouldn't get much change out of $100k,(very conservative estimate!!) & if I had to live with a farked arm like I had, well just shoot me, PLEASE!!
Don't get me wrong, I'm angry for you, now can someone tell me again about the US being the best country on Earth??

Oh you think that is bad.

I went to Cape Canaveral hospital where I live in FL and they took my blood pressure, weighed me, took my temperature and my information...THEN refused to help me any further because I had no insurance. They wanted $400 bucks UP FRONT to treat me. I was having a severe allergic reaction to a dog. I looked like Chunk from Goonies, that is how bad my face was swollen. I had hives and my breathing was like a weazing. The lady looked at me and said "you seem fine to me you are talking arent you." I was floored and then said to her that if she knew me I could be on my death bed and still find a walk to talk!

The best part was the $3000 dollar BILL I got a month later! Yeah you read that right. I told them to shove it where the sun doesn't shine. I had to convince my bf at the time NOT to go down there and beat them lol He was furious and I was freaking out. I could have had complete loss of breathing and they refused to treat me because i had no insurance..yeah they really care about their patients...its' ALL about the BENJAMINS!


This country is so ass backwards with health care it is ridiculous. If you have no insurance they charge whatever they want and it's sick. It should be considered price gouging! I am all for health care like they have in Canada or parts of Europe. I would pay more taxes if it were like that. The US is suppose to be some great country and land of the free and opportunity yet that only applies if you have the damn money to live the "dream."

If they are able to drop it by $8,000 in one fell swoop, you know everyone is getting jacked at the regular prices.

First off best wishes and a speedy recovery, also good luck on a job.

From personal experience in 2000 in the US, I had to go to the hospital emergency room, for a possible heart attack. Emergency room, 3 days in the ICU, a angiogram with no stents, the discounted cost was $20,000. I ended up in bankruptcy. The I found out if I'd had any insurance the cost to the insurance company would have been $5000, and my co-pay would have been between 15-30% of that amount depending on the insurance. And those figures were from the hospital accounting department, and they also said that the state had to pick up the slack. I moved back overseas shortly after and had my Dr look over the bill, in South East Asia, the cost would have been around $750 to $1200 US. And the hospital facilities are equivalent to the US. Oh the cause of the problem, the pharmacy had given me the wrong dosage of blood pressure meds when I refilled the week before.

10 years forward, 22 Dec 2010, I was again in the emergency room here in the Philippines, EKG, X-Ray, blood test, etc. The cost was $100 US, same equipment, people trained and having worked in the US. Frankly you couldn't tell that you weren't in the states

Is there something wrong with the health care system there? Yes! Do the Canadian and UK systems have advantages and good points, they do, as well as draw backs, they do waiting time and refused procedures from what I know. Does the US have good points yes, but do to the cost they are often ruined or go un-noticed. Does the system here have issues yes, it does. The states do a much better job than here for poor and unemployed.

OH and adding insult, I was on a contract state side earlier this year and I had to have "a pre-employment drug test" and I had to pay for it. The cost was $160.00! I got my DL renewed when I got back and here they require a drug test. The same test is a horrendous $1.50! Yes one dollar and fifty cents for a pee test, outrageous,

Originally posted by endtimer
reply to post by groingrinder

 

I'm not sure what the point is. You had all of these procedures done,
knowing you only have $50.00 a month, you knew this going to the
Medical Center. Now what? Are you mad at society or the Hospital
in general because they didn't wipe out the entire debt? You stated
that they took off $8,000 and have $3,000 left to pay off. I would say
that is a pretty darn good arrangement. What are you complaining
about? Suck it up and get a part time job. Do something besides
complaining to ATS.

edit on 28-12-2010 by endtimer because: (no reason given)

i hope you fall off a ladder, lose your job and require 15 months of rehab before obama's healthcare reform kicks in and they can't deny you coverage.

i also hope the industry you defend squeezes every last cent they can after they have done a thorough credit check and calculated how much they can charge you.