Medical Bill?

[super_dave]

My kids are home schooled
I don't wear my seatbelt
I don't drink
I have enough pride in my country to sign up for the select service
No claims either

Your turn

[texansfan]

I understand that it's not a "simple" thing to do. I used the word "relatively". As in, no post op care, no incisions, no finite cutting or removal of flesh/polyps. I'm upset with the providers in this case because they are the ones who gave an estimate to my patient advocate and the out of pocket cost for that estimate is close to 4 times what the estimate was. I also understand that an estimate is exactly that. It's an estimate of the cost of the service to be provided considering that there aren't any complications found. I've already staTed that everything checked out ok. So how in the hell do they justify nearly quadrupling what the estimate was?

And no, I don't drive a newer German car. I can't afford one because I don't make my living sticking it to people as much as I possibly can as you stated. Again, I'm not against anyone making a huge pile of cash at their profession. Good for them if they do. What I have a problem with are lies, deception, and essentially racketeering to complete such a a goal at the detrement of the customer just because they don't speak your language and you feel like you can take advantage of them and there's nothing they can do about it. I have a problem with people who have no moral standards, as is apparently the case with many folks in the medical profession according to your statements. I have a problem with people who lack personal integrity, or businesses that lack integrity as well. If the only goal in life is for those folks to "make as much money as they can", then they are an absolute disgrace to the medical profession. That is supposed to be a highly respected field, in which most folks enter to get rich and HELP people. Somehow, it seems lIke the goal now is to simply get rich and the hell with the patient/paying customer. It truly is shameful to say "Hey, let's throw this huge price tag out there even though we"ve already given a much lower ball park figure just to see if the idiot will bite off and pay it." There is nothing moral or ethical about.

Let's try it this way.
How much do you think you SHOULD have to pay for those procedures that you got done?

And there are no "lies" being told about medical field billing.
Do you not understand how to read an EOB?
It is a line item accounting of everything you got done during your visit.

We got our EOB one time and there was two lines for Ultrasound
I called and said one needed to be removed because it was a duplicate.
Doctor's office shot back saying that normal procedure only allows for 15 mins worth of time but it was more difficult to see in my wife's abdomen so they needed to bill for more time.
An additional $450

Insurance paid
But I still called to question them.

No one is trying to be sneaky or scheme anyone out of money.

I'm telling you that physicians are NOT cheap

I don't make $30k an hour
One of the guys I work for does

You have kids?
Your wife get an epidural?
You ever see how much that anesthesiologist charges you to simply ***** your wife in the back?
LOL
All for what? 45 seconds worth of "work"?


Don't be mad at the doctors
Be mad at the insurance companies

[RedTx]

You are upset with medical providers when you need to be upset with health insurance companies who set up and propagate this payment scheme.

Truest statement I've read so far. Most Dr.s I know are spending at least 5k a month in school loans a month if not more.

With that being said a lot of what Texansfan is true. A lot of the cost are BS though. An what I mean by that is manufactures have gotten nuts on things.

Here are some examples. I work in a ICU we sometimes are forced to use extension cords when all the outlets are used. The yellow extension cord I use cost around $80 you can buy the same one at Home depot for $20?

Hospital beds $40k. I know all the data and research cost that are added into the 40k bed but holy smokes that's crazy. It doesn't even do that much.

We have defibrillators on our crash carts that cost around 20k. I can buy a AED with more or less the same technology for $1500.

In response to the original poster. Call the Weatherford Hospital and try to work a deal with them. I guarantee they will at some point. THe organization I work for gives people that don't have insurance a huge discount discount I know you are arguing the principal of the thing but your not going to get the answer you are looking for. You got to play the game they are playing.

On side note all you people bitching about the Dr.s They don't get paid for 20-25% of there work. So 1/4 of the time they are working for free while paying back 500-750k in student loans. They also work more hours than I ever care to. Im not saying all Dr.s work that much but most I know work 60-70+hours a week

[texansfan]

I don't think the cost of equipment has much to do with it. As many people that have and will go through that MRI machine, it probably has been paid for many times over. The first procedure that was done to me did not work. The hospital charged insurance $73,000 just to use the OR. It did not include doctors, anesthesia or anything except the room. How many folks you reckon have gone through that OR?

CHI St Luke's is a BUSINESS
When they pay $2M for a fMRI machine they are hoping to make AT LEAST $100 million in revenue off of it.

St Luke's is not there to "help" people.
They are there to MAKE MONEY

Why do you think Memorial Hermann renovated their maternity ward and put in "luxury" suites?
Because they want to attract more patients.
More patients = more revenue


Are you a socialist?
Sure sounds like it.
Sounds like you don't want these hospitals making as much money as possible.

No one is forcing you to go to any of these hospitals.
You do know that there are still doctors that make "house calls", right?

I'd like to see that bill where the hospital charged you $73k simply for the room.
That's a supreme outlier and will QUICKLY get rejected by any insurers auto fraud detection program.

All these charges have high and low bounds and if they fall outside the lines they get rejected and a human has to do a manual review of that line item.

[Richard]

I know first hand that's not true.
When I went to have a colonoscopy, they called me 3 days before to tell me that MY part, after insurance would be about $1,000. I don't remember the exact amount, but that's pretty close.

When I got there, I asked the receptionist "If I were paying cash, for this, how much would it be?"

$900



So, it was more expensive for me to HAVE insurance!

This is often true. My wife and I are in the Medical field and people without insurance generally pay less at the Doctor Office and Hospitalization.

[Matt_C]

14 hour back surgery in 2014. $248,000.00. After insurance and my efforts to reduce the bill.... I'm still paying on it.

[Tbar]

Do you even know how Obamacare works?
No.
You don't.
Or else you wouldn't type that.

Do you know how Medicaid works?

One is free and the other the recipient pays for.

This is the one that rabidly defended Ocare in another thread.

I would love to see his industry go away. It is overhead we all have to pay for.

[BULL21]

This is the one that rabidly defended Ocare in another thread.

I would love to see his industry go away. It is overhead we all have to pay for.

I'm still waiting on his response to my question. I want to see how I'm going to be schooled on the benefits of Obamacare

[DocHolliday]

Insurance companies, and federal regulation has absolutely killed the medical profession. It's absolutely disgusting.

[brownwdbwhunter]

People always say stuff like this but I'm currently looking at 14 years worth of data (2008-2015) between two data sets (HCUP and Premier) this represents well over 150 MILLION patient visits, and I don't see any line item charges that high for those items.



There's usually more to the story (and line items on the bill)

That is what they charged me , and I couldn't fight it, because I'm in the process of buying a house, and didn't want it on my credit.
Next time I will refuse those services !!
That is absolutely ridiculous!!


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[justletmein]

Do you realize those immunizations your kid gets cost like $1200 a set?

Actually they're only $120, just billed $1200. LOL

[texansfan]

Actually they're only $120, just billed $1200. LOL

How Much Revenue Do Vaccines Generate?

By Andrea Billups | Saturday, 27 Jun 2015 10:03 PM

Vaccines generate billions of dollars in revenue for drug companies as costs paid by the federal government — which purchases half of all the vaccines for the nation's children — have risen 15-fold since 1986, The New York Times reported.







It's all because of Obamacare...

[drbonner]

You'd hate to see what my insurance paid out the year my son was born.

[Tbar]

First major health insurance company to withdraw from Obamacare

According to Politico, the healthcare insurer Humana will completely withdraw from the Affordable Care Act exchange program in 2018, leaving a sizable dent in the Obamacare market.

This would make Humana the first major health insurance company to walk away from Obamacare. The company states that it has come to this decision due to the fact that it stands to lose $45 million in 2017 on Obamcare business.......

http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/02...rom-obamacare/

[RiverRat1]

Let's try it this way.
How much do you think you SHOULD have to pay for those procedures that you got done?

And there are no "lies" being told about medical field billing.


No one is trying to be sneaky or scheme anyone out of money.

I'm telling you that physicians are NOT cheap

I don't make $30k an hour
One of the guys I work for does

Don't be mad at the doctors
Be mad at the insurance companies

So they can pay back their 600k school loan in 2 ten hour work days? That sounds about right.

How long does it take a teacher to pay back their 30k school loan?


And yes, they do scheme money out of everyone they can. Name other business where the price gets cut in half if you just say the word "cash". Not auto insurance. Maybe at HEB or Lowes...nope. Maybe your car mechanic?