7 ms·
I went to the ER last year. They ended up making me stay overnight. I was hit with a bill for over $10K, with much of that falling on me. I also used to work
by tryitnow 7y ago
I went to the ER last year. They ended up making me stay overnight.
I was hit with a bill for over $10K, with much of that falling on me.
I also used to work in corporate finance and I have a good intuition for how billing works.
Before I even got the bill I mentally prepared myself for it by telling myself that it's going to be a long drawn out process.
I waited and waited and received an initial bill a few months after my hospitalization. It was for the aforementioned amount.
I called and politely asked to have it itemized. Naturally,that took several more months.
The bill was reduced, but the itemization was incorrect, so I asked for a correct itemization.
I went through a few more iterations of this. Each time the bill got lower and lower.
Eventually, I had to pay something like $1.5K out of pocket, which would have been a lot less if I didn't have an HSA.
The whole process took almost a year.
If you ever have to go to the hospital, just assume that it will take forever and nitpick the bill (within reason) and continue to challenge it. They will often give up and reduce your bill. Whatever you do, never pay a bill that is not itemized. As a former finance professional I am shocked that hospitals can get away with this, this would never fly in the B2B world, professionals always push back against "mystery bills" that show just the bottom line number.
- mwambua 7y agoWhat do you mean when you say the itemization was incorrect? Do you mean that the prices that they list were incorrect, or that the items didn't make sense given the treatment you received? In either case, what reference do you use to ascertain correctness? I feel like information asymmetry is a problem for a lot of patients. It's hard to tell if you actually need a treatment, or if you're being charged fairly for it.
- brycehamrick 7y agoUpcoding is extremely common and almost never comes with any consequences. It's routine for staff at the hospital to add line items for things that never actually happened. I've personally seen procedure codes for neuropsychological testing in the ER when the staff never completed those exams, as an example. The billing codes require very specific actions to have taken place in order for the insurance companies to reimburse. It's not often done out of malice, the codes added are likely what should have taken place but the hospital staff are overworked and end up cutting corners.
- sizzle 7y agoThis is outright fraud.. I wish I could wear a bodycam into the hospital and have the footage confirm everything I'm billed for is actually administered and necessary for the diagnosis I'm provided by the physician.
- abledon 7y agoThat’s disgusting of them to do — disgraceful part of the country
- iamgopal 7y agoi.e. play the same game that insurance company play with us.
- doomjunky 7y agoHere in europe we don't get to see the bill at all. The hospital sends the bill directly to the insurance company. Think about it. The negotiation of the costs will take place between two companies (B2B). In this case the insurance company becomes the advocate of the people not their opponent.
- agumonkey 7y agoThis is staggering.. Also reminds me of unplanned importation fees. Transporter started to send me letters after letters. I bounced emails as long as possible asking for some explanation. After a few months and a few lawyer agencies (mind you it was just a few SBC bought online) they accepted to make me pay for a much smaller amount, sending me the same bill but with an added line "deal rebate" and that was it. I wonder how much money get lost this way...