Shocked by medical billing.

[Biggus Dickus]

And we wonder why people forego doctors, hospitals, etc. sheesh.

And, what have we learned from Covid-19? People don't need to go the doctor (or ER or Urgent Care) nearly as much as they used to(pre-pandemic). ERs around used to be slammed. Now they are dead. And I don't think other illnesses disappeared because of Covid-19.

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[ENPhoto]

Thats crazy.

Here in Canada I've had a couple surgeries, x-rays, overnights, blood testing...

No bills. The monthly medical premium has been waived since 2006 in Alberta.

But, if I go into a hospital for whatever reason, it's a 4 hour wait....and non life essential surgeries are booked months in advance.

 

[Shifting_Gears]

And, what have we learned from Covid-19? People don't need to go the doctor (or ER or Urgent Care) nearly as much as they used to(pre-pandemic). ERs around used to be slammed. Now they are dead. And I don't think other illnesses disappeared because of Covid-19.

Yeah. Furthermore those that just walk into the ER with no insurance and get a free ride are probably not even doing that as to not catch COVID.

 

[K4fxd]

Old thread I know

Right now cost of procedure varies greatly depending on who's paying for it. You show up with no insurance, you'll pay half or less what the insurance companies are paying for the same things.

Wrong. I went many years without insurance. When I had my bad accident I did have it. The line items read like this. XYZ procedure cost xxx minus contractual write off.
This contractual write off was on everything listed. Out of 1 million plus only 125K was paid. If I didn't have insurance I would have been on the hook for the entire amount.

 

[kz]

I am not sure why y'all are digging out ancient post, especially posting such a clueless statements.
K4fxd - I know you think you'd be on the hook for all that but to say "wrong" you would have actually go through it without insurance. You realize I have multiple medical professionals in the family while you're making statement of a single instance and your own hypothesis on what you would be on the hook for ?
Anyway, kudos to dig out three year old thread, people must be really bored on New Years Day. Go watch Alabama hopefully beat Michigan or something.

 

[K4fxd]

I am not sure why y'all are digging out ancient post, especially posting such a clueless statements.
K4fxd - I know you think you'd be on the hook for all that but to say "wrong" you would have actually go through it without insurance. You realize I have multiple medical professionals in the family while you're making statement of a single instance and your own hypothesis on what you would be on the hook for ?

First off I did not dig this up. It was in the new post area.

Did you not read where it said I went years without insurance? I paid out of pocket and I never got any discounts. When I figured this out I bought insurance.

I also have several medical professionals in my family, past and present.

Bless your heart, and have a nice day.

 

[sk47]

Hello; within the last month or so my brother and I wound up at the same dental office. Same consultation using a 3-D X-Ray to determine if I can have an implant. My brother has some dental coverage while i do not. He paid $187 while I paid $274.

 

[CrazyHippie]

Now before anyone here goes insane I DO NOT want "healthcare for all". I do not think it would ever work in the US. But based on these posts it is certainly understandable why people would think some form of National healthcare would be acceptable. Obamacare was far from perfect, in many different ways but at least it was a foundation to build on, a start, a cornerstone. Unfortunately Congress in its wisdom has done nothing for the past three and a half years to change/improve it.

They could start by mandating healthcare to be a non-profit industry.

 

[Silver Bullitt]

My wife recently broke her foot. Since I had recently retired, our medical coverage had changed. When our old insurance (whom the claim was originally submitted to) denied the claim, the hospital offered me a 70% no-coverage discount. The total bill was just shy of $10K, so with the discount, they were asking about $2,800. The claim was then submitted to our new carrier (major insurance company). After the insurance negotiated discount, the bill was almost $1K higher ($3,700+). I paid the original offer and after some back and forth, they finally accepted the payment.

But, the no-coverage discount offered by the hospital was actually better than the negotiated discount through our insurance company. The whole system is a sham on the end consumer.

 

[K4fxd]

But, the no-coverage discount offered by the hospital was actually better than the negotiated discount through our insurance company. The whole system is a sham on the end consumer.

Maybe things have changed post Covid.

I would go for an office visit would be there with the Dr for all of 5 min. and the bill would be 125. I then found out they had a billing code system and I would argue everytime to get the code changed to the lowest billing increment. 75.

My sister Medical Dr, says they bill insurance high to get some money because most of the charges vanish.

I'll ask her if things have changed next time we are together.

 

[coz0502]

I just had an ER visit in December, which turned out to be a kidney stone. The bill came to $15,094 and I was admitted and released within about 6 hours.

My insurance is through my employer and is a 80/20 split for emergency services, with me being responsible for the 20%.

They billed me for approximately $3,200 (20% of the bill), then gave a $10k discount to the insurance company based on "Contractual adjustment".

While I understand that I owe a portion of the cost, I find it absolutely ridiculous that I'm now paying approx. 62% of this hospital bill. Why don't I get the same contractual rates as the that the insurance company gets?

Why bother having insurance, I bet if I went in and claimed uninsured my bill wouldn't have been $3k.

 

[Balr14]

I just had my annual "wellness" visit with my doctor. My cost was $350 (so far).... for 10 minutes of talk and a few standard blood tests. I'm sure I haven't received all the bills yet. Wellness checkups are supposed to be entirely covered under Medicare.

The real kicker is my doctor admitted there really isn't anything they can do for the problems I have.

 

[key01]

You are allowed one annual wellness checkup with Medicare and it should be covered with the exception of maybe any special blood tests beyond the norm. Maybe you hadn’t paid your 2023 Medicare deductible yet, and that was passed onto you? I never get any extra charges for my annual wellness appointments. I have traditional Medicare and not an Advantage plan.

 

[key01]

I just had an ER visit in December, which turned out to be a kidney stone. The bill came to $15,094 and I was admitted and released within about 6 hours.

My insurance is through my employer and is a 80/20 split for emergency services, with me being responsible for the 20%.

They billed me for approximately $3,200 (20% of the bill), then gave a $10k discount to the insurance company based on "Contractual adjustment".

While I understand that I owe a portion of the cost, I find it absolutely ridiculous that I'm now paying approx. 62% of this hospital bill. Why don't I get the same contractual rates as the that the insurance company gets?

Why bother having insurance, I bet if I went in and claimed uninsured my bill wouldn't have been $3k.

I agree. You are getting ripped off. Typically your 20% comes after the discounts are calculated. You pay 20% of that net cost. Maybe it’s different in the state where you live, however. That is a very bad insurance deal your employer negotiated or your state allows the insurance companies to operate this way. I would not accept this and call them out.

 

[Balr14]

You are allowed one annual wellness checkup with Medicare and it should be covered with the exception of maybe any special blood tests beyond the norm. Maybe you hadn’t paid your 2023 Medicare deductible yet, and that was passed onto you? I never get any extra charges for my annual wellness appointments. I have traditional Medicare and not an Advantage plan.

I have an Advantage plan. Part of the charge was for the phlebotomist and one blood test that is not covered; still trying to get answers.

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