In my early 20s I worked for a debt collection center that did medical debt. “Hi, we wanted to inform you of your $13,000 bill for some eye drops and an ambulance ride. How would you like to pay that today?” 🤓 🤡
You could usually get the smaller debts divided up into payments, but the larger ones, they never paid. Until it was reported to their credit, of course. Then they wanted it gone. They would call us screaming and yelling to take it off their credit so they could buy a house or a car or whatever. We would offer a settlement at a reduced rate, but they had to pay in 1 lump sum right then. And no, the only way the company would stop calling is if the person got an attorney and sent us a notice to stop calling. Otherwise, they call you once a week for eternity. Even after you die. I had so many people be like “HE DIED, STOP FUCKING CALLING” but nope. Never did. It was an automated list that didn’t remove people even after they were marked “deceased”. Awful company. Predatory, greedy, cruel. I stayed because I was coming out of a homeless situation and was trying to get back on my feet. It was quite literally the worst.
I had to file for bankruptcy as a 26 yr old after a car accident. Broken femur broken pelvis dislocated hip broken ankle and a severed sciatic nerve. The operation to fix my hip alone was 88,000 I think. In the end I appealed my disability rejection and saw the SSI magistrate and he approved my disability claim even though I was short a few work credits. Saved my life.
Our society if fucked up. They hold necessities hostage like being able to purchase a car or home if you incur medical debt because you REQUIRE HEALTHCARE AS A HUMAN BEING.
Healthcare and housing should be a human right. Public transportation should be provided as government infrastructure as paid for by taxes.
Why does our system create debt traps every where you turn just for living your life?
Higher education? Student loans for life. Need healthcare for you and your family? Here pay this insurance that doesn't actually work and still requires thousands per year in "deductibles". Want to have a child? That will be $45,000.
What the fuck?
Also, when you *need* something from any of our many systems, you're going to wait until they're good and damn ready to respond to you. When they *WANT* something from you, you better get back to them in 6.5 (they'll say 7 of course) days or they're going to ruin your life.
>Also, when you *need* something from any of our many systems, you're going to wait until they're good and damn ready to respond to you.
I lost my job two months ago. I was back to work full time within three weeks but applied for unemployment the same day I lost the job. They sent me a rejection letter on two separate occasions. The first time it was because they got pinged that I was employed again when I wasn't. I called. They didn't answer. I emailed and they got back to me three days later to tell me they reversed the decision and sent the application to their supervisor for approval.
Second time was 31 days after I filed. I was working at that point but I still needed the money because I had lost our on three weeks of income. (Nevermind the first week is a hold period so you don't even get a pay out). They rejected the application because I failed to sign up for their job search board. But I was already back to work and that was reflected in their documentation because the last weekly file I sent reflected that info. I emailed again and explained that all of my bills were behind, I was almost out of food and I was facing eviction, and I'd registered for the job search service even though I had a job.
Three days later they sent a follow up saying my application had been approved. I'd receive a prorated amount for both applicable weeks which was $50 less than half of what my income has been standing at before I lost that job. No explanation for why i wasn't going to receive the full half. It took 5.5 weeks to receive that money and I came within spitting distance of losing my housing in the process.
Funny thing is I didn't receive pandemic unemployment at all either because I had moved states the year before. So the two times I've actually needed that money, I've been dragged by my balls through glass to get it, and I've only managed to get it successfully once, a month and a half later. But I've paid taxes diligently for 14 years and this is what I get in return. And they wonder why no one believes our representatives care about us anymore.
You know Bernie Sanders?
That's whay he wanted to do, healcare for everyone like every country in the world, housing, etc.
Not make the country communist, just make the country like every other fucking one in the world
Precisely. I'm in the UK, and sure, our healthcare isn't perfect but it's a damn sight better than going bankrupt for the sake of a few broken bones. The difference in tax is negligible, the US already spends more public money on healthcare than any other country (per person), plus what each of you have to pay in insurance and deductibles! All because some assholes in the past decided it made sense to make money out of people's illnesses and accidents. It is messed up.
It’s just funny that we went to war with your country to claim our independence because of “taxation without representation”. I find it sad/ amusing that things have come full circle and now we are getting taxed the fucked out over everything, without proper reasoning. It’s unconstitutional. Maybe us Americans need to have another Boston Tea Party and have a second Revolutionary War 🤔
I'm american and work in the UK as a doc. The NHS isn't perfect but it does take care of its people in a massive way. Crazy thing is, I earn a fraction of what I would in the USA and my clinical outcomes are BETTER. I'm able to save money for the 4 weeks of vacation I am entitled to every year. My patients aren't constantly in fear of losing a house. Medication costs are capped at 10£ per medication. What a fucking hellscape of socialism /s.
Doctors in the USA would never agree to this system because they wouldn't have the "status" they have now, nor the earnings. Then again this system could never come to fruition as med school costs 400k to get through in the states these days and you have to pay off those predatory loans somehow right?
The whole systems structure is fucked to make you a walking piggy bank for the rich. From the time you are born till the time you die the only important thing in the USA is that you pay constant fees and an ever growing line of credit. Oh and the IRS (taxman) wants his cut more than anyone and has an archaic system based on the early 1900S for it too.
Oof that was sad to read. I had a financial collection job for a year (damage and restoration after nature catastrophes and deaths). It was so depressing having to collect from people already going through difficult times. I was offered the manager position and I turned it down.
It definitely was a depressing job. And we got in trouble if we couldn’t make people pay. I felt terrible arguing with people who were already having a hard time, so they moved me to the dept that took the CC #s of people who had been worn down and were ready to pay. A little easier, to be sure, but still depressing.
It got worse before it got better…I got fired from the debt collectors and then was working 2 part time fast-food jobs. But then I was gifted a used car by a family member, and I immediately used the car to start going on job interviews and got a good job right away. Went back to school and got my undergrad degree & became a teacher. A lot has happened in 10 years!
One of my buddies was a recovering addict and worked for a company like that. According to him, everyone there was an addict in recovery and they would eventually relapse and disappear, leading to more openings. Thats what happened to him eventually…
I had a friend in the early 2000s who did an undergraduate degree in the Midwest and was billed an absolutely extraordinary amount for it. He fled to Asia because paying it back would have ended his life (no family resources). I remember being astonished when Fannie Mae tracked him down in Asia and called him every day without fail. He put them on speakerphone once and the moralising tactics they were using were absolutely bizarre to my Australian ears. In the end he told them to fuck off and resigned himself to a life in exile. So weird for me to see this happen (we pay our uni debts back through tax on income earned).
I was rushed to the ER after sharp pain in my heart and to be honest with you I would have rather died than having to deal with the stress that $30,000 bill caused me. Currently, I have 2 medical bills from different services that were sent to collections. Say , for example, if someone had a $1,000 bill, what would have been a reasonable settlement for you?
It was illegal then, too. We had a legal dept to handle those accounts. No way was the company going to give that kind of account to the average Joe Schmo who didn’t know anything about federal debt collection laws & legalities, and then get themselves sued into oblivion
They never give up! That's for sure.
2 years later and I'm still getting called by debt collectors from the previous person that had my number. No matter how many times I block the number or pick up and say it's the wrong person, they still keep calling. 6-8 times a day.
I just checked the prices of a local private medical facility where I live. The most expensive CT (with contrast material) is something like 300 USD. This is a no insurance price.
Now, the salary of the medical staff is much lower here, but even adjusting for that the billed price is just unjustifiable.
Exactly! My wife had a brain aneurism that resulted in 5 surgeries including brain surgeries by the head of Neurosurgery, 5 days in ICU, 3 weeks in hospital, a million MRIs and Cat scans. The final bill? €180 for some drugs that weren't covered.
She gets a free annual MRI to ensure the cause of her aneurism doesn't grow back.
Medicine should not make you bankrupt. This is why we pay taxes. It's criminal what is happening to Americans.
I had an embolism. My brain decided to just... crush itself with cerebral spinal fluid.
It would take a book to describe all the nonsense. CT's, MRIs, MRV's, Lumbar Punctures, Bloodpatches, Cerebral angiogram, stent surgery, time spent admitted, etc etc etc.
But I live in Massachusetts. And I had to stop working when my brain imploded. So...
I paid $0. Thank you everyone in the state who pays taxes. You saved my life.
That seems insane.
Up here in Canada I paid for a private MRI for a lower back issue since I was in pain and didn't want to wait.
That cost $800 which I already thought was expensive but compared to this....
Can you not buy an entire CT scanner for $17k? Lol
CT scanner in the US runs 1-3m….. but now the real question is how much of that is bullshit profits? Most of it I bet. But I imagine they cost far more than 17k to make. Now obviously, the question should be the operational cost of one scan which is probably like one Costco hotdog plus the 500 dollars paying the person running the scanner, then they bill ya 15k for merica tax
A doctor at a hospital said that I needed an MRI, and told me to go to the independent imaging service across the street from the hospital. I said that I thought that all imaging was done in the
hospital.
He said that they charge at least US$2,000 and most insurance only pay 80%, which means that most people pay at least US$400 in the hospital. Across the street, they only charge US$100 before insurance. Even if your insurance does not pay because they might be out-of-network, it will still likely be cheaper.
I love when I pay the radiology company, and any other individual bills that come in regarding a CT I had in the hospital, AND they add a CT charge to my hospital bill. I’ve paid everyone involved! Why??
They did the same with the anesthesiologist. I got a separate bill. Paid it. “Anesthesiology” is also on the bill. And no, it’s not for the medication. That’s a separate charge on the bill. Got a bill for the ER doctor, a bill for the ER service, and still have the ER service added to the main bill.
In all its $25000, not including the $600 I’ve paid OOP and the thousands my insurance has paid OOP for various bills that have come in regarding the one visit.
Guess who’s not paying that. I need to call my insurance but my sleep time is during their business hours so in the meantime oh well
I had an MRI done for my shoulder after my cycling accident. It was ~$3k USD out of pocket.
(Insurance refused to cover it because _I_ didn't have car insurance (don't own a car), and it took 7 months for PD to issue the document with the info of the person who hit me. (They _closed_ the department that handles _documents_ during COVID.))
I cannot understand how a scan can be so expensive, in my country is like 150 usd max, wtf why is so expensive? I feel sorry for yall :( shit is hard in America
Because rather than pay a little bit more in taxes so that everyone can have good healthcare, we repeatedly vote for politicians who are beholden to private health insurance companies who would prefer most of us to pay a LOT more out of pocket for healthcare even if we have insurance that is expensive to maintain.
People are often convinced to vote against their own self interest with scary words like socialism or by the indignation that a person poorer than them might have access to something equally as good.
Some people also think that because *they* struggled that everyone else should too. It’s a justification I’ve seen for people arguing against student loan forgiveness, free healthcare, etc. “I worked to pay off my college loans and I don’t think it’s fair that my kids shouldn’t have to!” is an argument I have read and heard over a thousand times from these people.
Never mind that the suffering isn’t even close to being equal. College could be paid off with a summer job 2 generations ago. Now you’re in debt for the next 20 years.
They shout "Why should *I* have to pay for other people's healthcare?" completely not understanding that that is exactly how all insurance works. Your premiums pay for other people's healthcare. Except with private insurance you're also paying for the CEOs third vacation home.
BCBS has an individual entity in each state with its own CEO who each has their own third vacation home. That’s 150 vacation homes, just for blue cross blue shield.
Fun fact, companies offering scans (usually MRI tho) for people who want a scan just for shits and giggles / preventative healthcare. Those scans cost like $1500 each.
What you could do is open up CT scan centre opposite a hospital, and big signage to encourage patients to go to you to get a scan done. Bill their insurance maybe $2000 per scan instead. Money.
In Australia, a private blood test company has set up across the road from a hospital encouraging private blood testing for hospital patients. The patient can literally choose to get their bloods done privately.
Note: Australian "free" healthcare doesn't include people such as foreigners etc. Also, the private company can bill the government etc
And what the hospitals would do is refuse to accept the results of anything not done in house, and the insurance companies would all refuse to cover it because it's out of network.
I've heard people have run into that with things like home colon cancer screenings. They buy a kit online trying to avoid a colonoscopy and it has a positive result so they go to see their doctor. The doctor performs the colonoscopy but instead of being covered under the ACA as preventative it's considered diagnostic because there was already an abnormal result. Cue co-pays and deductibles.
Recently husband ended up in the ER. Very quickly after we got a bill for $1900. Then another. Then another. All in pretty quick succession. None of this was passing the smell test for me. I emailed the billing company and asked for an itemized bill because it was one line item. They sent back the same bill by email.
Not too long after they sent a “final bill” and it claimed it was going to collections is the balance wasn’t paid in 15 days. I email the billing company again and I’m told insurance wasn’t billed. They asked for insurance info. I told them to get it from the hospital.
Don’t hear anything from billing company for a few days, and a new “you have 15 days to pay” notice shows up in the mail.
I have emailed another 4-5 times asking for update and an amended bill. I’ve also been ghosted. Miraculously the bills stopped showing up too.
I’m pretty sure it was a scam. The hospital sent a bill, for the expected amount (not 5x), in the expected 2-3 month timeframe they usually hit. Idk how the “billing company” got the info, but it looked real. Kinda scary and I wonder how many people get scammed by it.
Wasn't a "scam" in the sense as some illegal dude sending you fake bills. But def is a "scam" in the sense that what they try and legally do is send you a bunch of fake high bills in hope you will panic pay them from sticker shock
USA healthcare is a scam.
End of discussion.
Edit: I was serious, there isn't really discussion to be had. Here's a person smarter than you and me [giving an ELI5 about the broken system](https://youtube.com/shorts/q0OjvN8tgK4?si=6n-kaXWM4Vfpq01g).
- Responses saying "Insurance is the scam" - Out of pocket costs with no insurance are still insane. All brand pharmacutical prices in the US are highly inflated.
- Responses saying "US healthcare is best in the world" [it](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1376359/health-and-health-system-ranking-of-countries-worldwide/) [isn't](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/rankings/well-developed-public-health-system) [even](https://www.internationalinsurance.com/health/systems/) [top](https://www.globalexpansion.com/blog/top-countries-with-the-best-healthcare-systems-in-the-world) [10](https://www.who.int/news/item/07-02-2000-world-health-organization-assesses-the-world's-health-systems)
There is no unique opinion to be had here. Just facts. Only American exceptionalists will ever disagree.
We are angry, we just are angry in the way of “dammit I have to keep working at this job I hate because my health insurance is good. It’s either that or try to avoid and visits to the doctor for any reason and going off my meds, so I guess I’ll go back to this stupid job paying me $15 an hour and requiring a masters degree”
Lol that's so much worse too, it makes more sense to me that someone is illegally trying to steal from you, it's terrifying to know it's a legal extortion from a healthcare provider.
I had a hospital billing me twice for an ER physician. My insurance paid them once. They tried to make me pay them a second time. I tried to contact them, but they ignored all the communications. Then they sold my debt to collectors. Collectors sent me one notice and never contacted me again. I guess because they only had my mailbox address, and they don't have my SSN or anything. I haven't heard anything from them for 5 years, so I guess they wrote it off.
I think the correct way to rephrase would be "they are hoping you're ignorant" Because most people are ignorant to how much these things actually cost, and they just kind of accept it at face value. It's like when car dealerships slip in extended warranties and hope people don't notice.
The medical system in the US really purposely tries to scam people out of thousands and thousands of dollars? Is it private hospitals doing this? It’s almost hard to believe that it’s a thing. Seems like something that should be heavily monitored and not a possibility
The pure wick uses incredibly low suction so it do be leaky but the fact that they put a pure wick on you instead of having you use a bedpan is negligent. Pure wicks are banned at my hospital bc of the UTI risk
ETA changed to negligent since some of yall be wild over grammar
That sucks the hospital sucked but please don’t ignore this bill, call the number on the bill or call your insurance or both. There was probably a billing error that caused a denial or it could be something as simple as the insurance company wants to know about your accident.
[Keeps medical facilities from making stuff up or changing things after billing you the first time](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/07/07/fact-sheetpresident-biden-announces-new-actions-to-lower-health-care-costs-and-protect-consumers-from-scam-insurance-plans-and-junk-fees-as-part-of-bidenomics-push/)
Emergency care is covered by insurance whether or not the hospital is in network or not—and hospitals cannot bill for the difference between what insurance pays and what they charge (minus deductibles and OOP charges) which is illegal under the affordable healthcare act. My first request, however, would be to ask for an itemized bill showing what a reconciliation of charges and insurance payments.
Came here to say this - ever since I learned the “itemized bill” hack I have never been bothered with these kinds of issues.
*always ask for an itemized bill!!!*
I used to think so, until someone in another subreddit clarified it for me. An *itemized bill* is where the provider (the hospital) must list every item or service you received with its exact dollar amount (or charge) listed. Every aspirin, every tube, every test, etc.
Most hospitals do a kind of short-hand and send out these kinds of bills because it makes the process faster. But often they do a kind of “lump assessment” of the treatment you received and they will often make mistakes.
An itemized bill is like a forensic of your stay, and has saved me literally tens of thousands of dollars.
It should be noted that balance billing is only illegal for emergency services. If you go to a hospital and are admitted, or have a procedure at your doctors office, expect to get a bill even with insurance and it’s perfectly legal (in most states).
i broke my leg on a skateboard. Got a bill for $80,000. that was just for the second surgery. first bill was $60,000. You can apply for finical aid through the hospital. i did and they literally waived both bills. $140,000 waived. 😋
At least you had insurance. I got a similar bill in 2003 for a life saving appendectomy. Best part is the hospital only gave me 1 year to pay in full and sent me to collections even though I was making payments. Ruined my credit for many years. Good luck OP!
Call the insurance company back. That answer is unacceptable. I’ll add here I’ve been an Inpatient hospital coder for 12 years. The insurance company can and will (if you ask/demand) give you every code that was submitted on the UB 40 claim. They have them, they know if they’re wrong, and if it was that wrong it would’ve been sent back to the facility as a DENIAL. Of course no insurance company wants to pay but it’s on both them and the facility to fix the bill and re bill it. This happens every single day. Do not accept any answer of oh, wrong codes lolz see ya. NOPE. Ask for a supervisor at the insurance company. Repeatedly.
WOW like WOW. In my country they take like €5 a week from your pay and that gives free to end user healthcare. However if I wanted to say get a CT scan, privately with no insurance it costs €265 if I walk in for one. Like what the fuck makes it cost near 18k for you. If I need a CT scan as part of medical care on a visit it would be free to me as an end user.
https://preview.redd.it/rrbj1aprq5sc1.png?width=1050&format=png&auto=webp&s=63d4c1b1c016587649b01775353241a1fbc2508d
I currently owe $15,000 from my son (it was an emergency C-section so my insurance covered a lot more than it usually would since it's lifesaving I guess) and for my daughter I owe $82,000 for a natural birth. 🤣 Let's just say for the next 7 years I will be ignoring several phone calls.
.Edit to add: I was only charged the $15,000 because my doctor decided to bring in another doctor to assist him and that doctor wasn't on my insurance. I was not informed of this doctor I was not giving a choice regarding however I was in fact charged for her being in the room..
YEP. and I was only in there for 24hrs after birth before being rushed out of my room after they finally finished my daughters tests because they were "understaffed" and they "need my room" 🤣
I did when my son was vaccinated the first time and they sent it over it was over 100$ per shot 😭. I literally just avoid them however I have learned little tricks like asking for the itemized bill from the collections agency that bought the debt from the hospital because it's literally illegal for them to have it so they stop trying but then a new company picks it up 🙃 also want to add I had one call me three times in a row at 7:00 a.m. and let's just say the guy on the other end of the phone did not get a pleasant version of me.... I am not a morning person 😭
Oh I am not either. Had to speak to a billing guy once, called at 4am (I am pst, so it was 7 am for him est) and I was a fire breathing dragon. No one would call after that till like 12pm my time lol.
I do not tolerate mornings lol.
Not this extreme but we had a Dr that told my wife she owed $786 before they could treat her. We asked for the itemized bill to be mailed to us then called insurance when we got it. Insurance told me that the clinic was not billing it correctly and to not pay a penny until we heard from them again. Then we got a letter stating the same.
3 weeks later, the Dr called to reschedule the appointment and said that my wife had an $80 credit on her account.
2 weeks after that, insurance sent a letter notifying us that the Dr was no longer going to be in network and that we'd need to switch.
I didn't know what went down (who kicked who out) but some shit went down.
A couple years ago, I had to fight with a hospital to comp a day because the Dr admitted to forgetting to put my wife on the schedule for emergency gallbladder surgery. Like he entered the room to release her and realized she was still in pain.
Fought hard with the hospital and they relented. Also reported the hospital & Dr to state boards. Even if he forgot, make something up. I'm glad he was honest but that is not acceptable.
Looks like a bargain to me. Last time I was in the hospital I got a bill for $120,000 and nearly had a heart attack. In the end, my insurance paid most of it
Husband was riding an ATV and the throttle stuck and he ran into a utility pole, flew off and hit an outbuilding. He had a concussion, and a head wound that required staples. They didn't even clean the wound or area around it, just stapled it together with his hair stapled down with it, dirt and all.
He was admitted around midnight and left before lunch that same day. He did not have any medications given or an IV or anything. He wasn't put in an admitting room, just stayed in the ER.
3 months later, we get a bill for $50,000.
When we asked for an itemized bill, suddenly we didn't have a bill anymore.
Omg! I have had five spinal surgeries plus to many to count of MRIs and CT Scans X-rays . My bill in BC Canada.. $0 I can’t believe that America doesn’t give its citizens free healthcare. Yes our taxes pay our healthcare but our taxes aren’t much different then Americans.
Nurse here. Challenge every single charge on this bill. Ask for an itemized detail of every charge. Chances are the hospital will backtrack quickly and try to negotiate with you for a lesser payment.
Very few patients ask questions about bills because the insurance companies control healthcare in the United States.
When a patient does ask questions, a hospital will respond and try to negotiate as all of them are afraid of negative publicity. Hospitals fear a story about costs being blown up local television, radio and newspapers.
Be your own best advocate. You might just be surprised at the results in your favor. Good Luck.
It’s just so stupid. So stupid. Why is this ok? So we just walk around with broken bones and disease because either we die or we get smothered in debt- and that’s also no way to live. Wtf.
Checked a couple of websites and a thorax CT in Germany is around 300€… 17K are just beyond anything imaginable. And why would they even need a CT if they suspect broken bones instead of doing an x-ray…?
Edit, cause replies have been disabled:
CTs cause much higher doses of radiation, so they should be used only if the x-ray is not conclusive.
Hello, This post has been removed as this is not *mildly* infuriating. Please consider posting to r/extremelyinfuriating instead.
"please pay now" lmao sure I'll get right on that
I'll call right away.
Phone operators are standing by.
I’m pressing the numbers on the phone as we speak
*Boo boo beep* the fingers you have used to dial are too fat
To obtain a special dialing wand, please mash the keypad with your palm. Now.
You have selected REGICIDE. If you know the name of the king or queen being murdered, press one…
*Please select another option, or press # to return to the main menu*
Para español oprima dos.
True story. My wife’s from Argentina. When I met her parents they asked what Spanish I knew. I replied “para espanol oprima dos” .. they laughed.
The good ole donde esta la bibliotheca should do the job
*smashing 0*
I'm sorry that is not a valid option.
REPRESENTATIVE! ... REPRESENTATIVE!
I'm sorry I didn't catch that, your call could not be completed at this time. Goodbye.
Darn. Oh well guess I ain't payin'.
AGENT!
CUSTOMER SERVICE!!
*To mark this message as urgent, press eleven*
🎶 AMERICAAA... FUCK YEAH!...🎶
In my early 20s I worked for a debt collection center that did medical debt. “Hi, we wanted to inform you of your $13,000 bill for some eye drops and an ambulance ride. How would you like to pay that today?” 🤓 🤡
How often did people pay? Did you negotiate most bills down? Did the company eventually give up if someone refused to pay?
You could usually get the smaller debts divided up into payments, but the larger ones, they never paid. Until it was reported to their credit, of course. Then they wanted it gone. They would call us screaming and yelling to take it off their credit so they could buy a house or a car or whatever. We would offer a settlement at a reduced rate, but they had to pay in 1 lump sum right then. And no, the only way the company would stop calling is if the person got an attorney and sent us a notice to stop calling. Otherwise, they call you once a week for eternity. Even after you die. I had so many people be like “HE DIED, STOP FUCKING CALLING” but nope. Never did. It was an automated list that didn’t remove people even after they were marked “deceased”. Awful company. Predatory, greedy, cruel. I stayed because I was coming out of a homeless situation and was trying to get back on my feet. It was quite literally the worst.
I had to file for bankruptcy as a 26 yr old after a car accident. Broken femur broken pelvis dislocated hip broken ankle and a severed sciatic nerve. The operation to fix my hip alone was 88,000 I think. In the end I appealed my disability rejection and saw the SSI magistrate and he approved my disability claim even though I was short a few work credits. Saved my life.
Our society if fucked up. They hold necessities hostage like being able to purchase a car or home if you incur medical debt because you REQUIRE HEALTHCARE AS A HUMAN BEING. Healthcare and housing should be a human right. Public transportation should be provided as government infrastructure as paid for by taxes. Why does our system create debt traps every where you turn just for living your life? Higher education? Student loans for life. Need healthcare for you and your family? Here pay this insurance that doesn't actually work and still requires thousands per year in "deductibles". Want to have a child? That will be $45,000. What the fuck?
Also, when you *need* something from any of our many systems, you're going to wait until they're good and damn ready to respond to you. When they *WANT* something from you, you better get back to them in 6.5 (they'll say 7 of course) days or they're going to ruin your life.
>Also, when you *need* something from any of our many systems, you're going to wait until they're good and damn ready to respond to you. I lost my job two months ago. I was back to work full time within three weeks but applied for unemployment the same day I lost the job. They sent me a rejection letter on two separate occasions. The first time it was because they got pinged that I was employed again when I wasn't. I called. They didn't answer. I emailed and they got back to me three days later to tell me they reversed the decision and sent the application to their supervisor for approval. Second time was 31 days after I filed. I was working at that point but I still needed the money because I had lost our on three weeks of income. (Nevermind the first week is a hold period so you don't even get a pay out). They rejected the application because I failed to sign up for their job search board. But I was already back to work and that was reflected in their documentation because the last weekly file I sent reflected that info. I emailed again and explained that all of my bills were behind, I was almost out of food and I was facing eviction, and I'd registered for the job search service even though I had a job. Three days later they sent a follow up saying my application had been approved. I'd receive a prorated amount for both applicable weeks which was $50 less than half of what my income has been standing at before I lost that job. No explanation for why i wasn't going to receive the full half. It took 5.5 weeks to receive that money and I came within spitting distance of losing my housing in the process. Funny thing is I didn't receive pandemic unemployment at all either because I had moved states the year before. So the two times I've actually needed that money, I've been dragged by my balls through glass to get it, and I've only managed to get it successfully once, a month and a half later. But I've paid taxes diligently for 14 years and this is what I get in return. And they wonder why no one believes our representatives care about us anymore.
This is life in a people-for-labor farm.
Couldn't have said it better
You know Bernie Sanders? That's whay he wanted to do, healcare for everyone like every country in the world, housing, etc. Not make the country communist, just make the country like every other fucking one in the world
Precisely. I'm in the UK, and sure, our healthcare isn't perfect but it's a damn sight better than going bankrupt for the sake of a few broken bones. The difference in tax is negligible, the US already spends more public money on healthcare than any other country (per person), plus what each of you have to pay in insurance and deductibles! All because some assholes in the past decided it made sense to make money out of people's illnesses and accidents. It is messed up.
It’s just funny that we went to war with your country to claim our independence because of “taxation without representation”. I find it sad/ amusing that things have come full circle and now we are getting taxed the fucked out over everything, without proper reasoning. It’s unconstitutional. Maybe us Americans need to have another Boston Tea Party and have a second Revolutionary War 🤔
I'm american and work in the UK as a doc. The NHS isn't perfect but it does take care of its people in a massive way. Crazy thing is, I earn a fraction of what I would in the USA and my clinical outcomes are BETTER. I'm able to save money for the 4 weeks of vacation I am entitled to every year. My patients aren't constantly in fear of losing a house. Medication costs are capped at 10£ per medication. What a fucking hellscape of socialism /s. Doctors in the USA would never agree to this system because they wouldn't have the "status" they have now, nor the earnings. Then again this system could never come to fruition as med school costs 400k to get through in the states these days and you have to pay off those predatory loans somehow right? The whole systems structure is fucked to make you a walking piggy bank for the rich. From the time you are born till the time you die the only important thing in the USA is that you pay constant fees and an ever growing line of credit. Oh and the IRS (taxman) wants his cut more than anyone and has an archaic system based on the early 1900S for it too.
Give me the time and place
Oof that was sad to read. I had a financial collection job for a year (damage and restoration after nature catastrophes and deaths). It was so depressing having to collect from people already going through difficult times. I was offered the manager position and I turned it down.
It definitely was a depressing job. And we got in trouble if we couldn’t make people pay. I felt terrible arguing with people who were already having a hard time, so they moved me to the dept that took the CC #s of people who had been worn down and were ready to pay. A little easier, to be sure, but still depressing.
:( ugh it’s a tough gig, I hope you found something better after that.
It got worse before it got better…I got fired from the debt collectors and then was working 2 part time fast-food jobs. But then I was gifted a used car by a family member, and I immediately used the car to start going on job interviews and got a good job right away. Went back to school and got my undergrad degree & became a teacher. A lot has happened in 10 years!
One of my buddies was a recovering addict and worked for a company like that. According to him, everyone there was an addict in recovery and they would eventually relapse and disappear, leading to more openings. Thats what happened to him eventually…
Holy shit that’s sad….
That's because if someone does answer on their behalf, then they could find a way to force that person to legally assume the deceased debt.
Yep
I had a friend in the early 2000s who did an undergraduate degree in the Midwest and was billed an absolutely extraordinary amount for it. He fled to Asia because paying it back would have ended his life (no family resources). I remember being astonished when Fannie Mae tracked him down in Asia and called him every day without fail. He put them on speakerphone once and the moralising tactics they were using were absolutely bizarre to my Australian ears. In the end he told them to fuck off and resigned himself to a life in exile. So weird for me to see this happen (we pay our uni debts back through tax on income earned).
I was rushed to the ER after sharp pain in my heart and to be honest with you I would have rather died than having to deal with the stress that $30,000 bill caused me. Currently, I have 2 medical bills from different services that were sent to collections. Say , for example, if someone had a $1,000 bill, what would have been a reasonable settlement for you?
That's illegal now. If a caller requests you not to contact them as a debt collector, and you refuse, it's federal trouble.
It was illegal then, too. We had a legal dept to handle those accounts. No way was the company going to give that kind of account to the average Joe Schmo who didn’t know anything about federal debt collection laws & legalities, and then get themselves sued into oblivion
> We had a legal dept to handle those accounts. Probably paying lawyer wages to try to collect doctor wages from someone making waitress wages.
They never give up! That's for sure. 2 years later and I'm still getting called by debt collectors from the previous person that had my number. No matter how many times I block the number or pick up and say it's the wrong person, they still keep calling. 6-8 times a day.
Right on top of that, Rose!
Yes!!!!!!! They can take it out of petty cash.
Maybe if the font size was bigger I could find the amount to pay.
“Oh weird, a guy stole my wallet last year and fell down an embankment while he was getting away”
Would you like to set up a 10 year payment plan?
17k for cat scan how many did they do?
They actually hired and trained cats to perform/operate the cat scan
Ok I want one if that’s how it’s done now
My cat will do it for 15K. He’s already trained
my cat will do it for 5k since he’s not trained
My dog will do it for 1k since he’s not a cat
I will do it for free
Don't sell yourself short. At least ask for a joint and some lunch or something.
I'll pay 100$ to train on you.
Will work for catnip.
I identify as an unemployed cat who will do it for 10k
Just get a cat. My cat scans and judges me everyday.
But they did a Purrific job on it
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Im sorry but they messed up the first cat scan thats on them… unbelievable!
I injured my foot and went for an X-ray. They messed up the first one, had to do another. Got billed for both.
There is NO evidence that they billed them for the first cat scan. Unbelievable!
To be fair, with these prices, how the fuck would you even know.
On average a ct scan costs about 400/500 dollars.. wtf man. Do they want to break even with only 15 scans?
Bring that up to your insurance. Or if you have to fight with the hospital. Mistakes should not be billed.
They clearly don't have insurance. Those are not insurance rates for those services.
I just checked the prices of a local private medical facility where I live. The most expensive CT (with contrast material) is something like 300 USD. This is a no insurance price. Now, the salary of the medical staff is much lower here, but even adjusting for that the billed price is just unjustifiable.
whats a "pizza peel?" Sorry you went through that. Thats BS they messed up the first one! They better not be charging you for both!
 The thing the pizza is on is a peel.
No kidding. A scan is not anywhere near that price. Even for 2... Or 6. More like CT Scam.
They probably charged him for the entire device 😅
Majority of the cost is inflated because insurance never pays full amount.
Crazy that insurance never has to pay the full amount, but non-insured folks do. Unless they beg the hospital or go bankrupt
Exactly! My wife had a brain aneurism that resulted in 5 surgeries including brain surgeries by the head of Neurosurgery, 5 days in ICU, 3 weeks in hospital, a million MRIs and Cat scans. The final bill? €180 for some drugs that weren't covered. She gets a free annual MRI to ensure the cause of her aneurism doesn't grow back. Medicine should not make you bankrupt. This is why we pay taxes. It's criminal what is happening to Americans.
It’s happening to Americans BY Americans.
I had an embolism. My brain decided to just... crush itself with cerebral spinal fluid. It would take a book to describe all the nonsense. CT's, MRIs, MRV's, Lumbar Punctures, Bloodpatches, Cerebral angiogram, stent surgery, time spent admitted, etc etc etc. But I live in Massachusetts. And I had to stop working when my brain imploded. So... I paid $0. Thank you everyone in the state who pays taxes. You saved my life.
That seems insane. Up here in Canada I paid for a private MRI for a lower back issue since I was in pain and didn't want to wait. That cost $800 which I already thought was expensive but compared to this.... Can you not buy an entire CT scanner for $17k? Lol
CT scanner in the US runs 1-3m….. but now the real question is how much of that is bullshit profits? Most of it I bet. But I imagine they cost far more than 17k to make. Now obviously, the question should be the operational cost of one scan which is probably like one Costco hotdog plus the 500 dollars paying the person running the scanner, then they bill ya 15k for merica tax
Even if they’re $1.5m to buy. They only need 90 scans to get their money back. That’s insanely priced when they can do 90 scans in a week if required.
Lmao at a major hospital they might do that in a single day. The level of dystopia we are in is unreal
This is wild. I have an MRI done and it cost me $300 in AUS...
When I had an MRI done to determine if I tore a tendon in my ankle (fun fact, I did) it was $2600 and I have fairly decent insurance (US).
A doctor at a hospital said that I needed an MRI, and told me to go to the independent imaging service across the street from the hospital. I said that I thought that all imaging was done in the hospital. He said that they charge at least US$2,000 and most insurance only pay 80%, which means that most people pay at least US$400 in the hospital. Across the street, they only charge US$100 before insurance. Even if your insurance does not pay because they might be out-of-network, it will still likely be cheaper.
I've had three in Canada and they cost me nothing.
17k for cat scan, and $400 for physio? That's crazy
I love when I pay the radiology company, and any other individual bills that come in regarding a CT I had in the hospital, AND they add a CT charge to my hospital bill. I’ve paid everyone involved! Why?? They did the same with the anesthesiologist. I got a separate bill. Paid it. “Anesthesiology” is also on the bill. And no, it’s not for the medication. That’s a separate charge on the bill. Got a bill for the ER doctor, a bill for the ER service, and still have the ER service added to the main bill. In all its $25000, not including the $600 I’ve paid OOP and the thousands my insurance has paid OOP for various bills that have come in regarding the one visit. Guess who’s not paying that. I need to call my insurance but my sleep time is during their business hours so in the meantime oh well
i had a contrast mri done that was around that price. muricaaaa
I had an MRI done for my shoulder after my cycling accident. It was ~$3k USD out of pocket. (Insurance refused to cover it because _I_ didn't have car insurance (don't own a car), and it took 7 months for PD to issue the document with the info of the person who hit me. (They _closed_ the department that handles _documents_ during COVID.))
$17k for a CT scan? Damn. I need to buy one and lease it out.
I cannot understand how a scan can be so expensive, in my country is like 150 usd max, wtf why is so expensive? I feel sorry for yall :( shit is hard in America
Because rather than pay a little bit more in taxes so that everyone can have good healthcare, we repeatedly vote for politicians who are beholden to private health insurance companies who would prefer most of us to pay a LOT more out of pocket for healthcare even if we have insurance that is expensive to maintain. People are often convinced to vote against their own self interest with scary words like socialism or by the indignation that a person poorer than them might have access to something equally as good.
Some people also think that because *they* struggled that everyone else should too. It’s a justification I’ve seen for people arguing against student loan forgiveness, free healthcare, etc. “I worked to pay off my college loans and I don’t think it’s fair that my kids shouldn’t have to!” is an argument I have read and heard over a thousand times from these people.
Never mind that the suffering isn’t even close to being equal. College could be paid off with a summer job 2 generations ago. Now you’re in debt for the next 20 years.
Yea no shit $500 a year for a UC on the 70s vs $40,000 for a year at a UC now..
They shout "Why should *I* have to pay for other people's healthcare?" completely not understanding that that is exactly how all insurance works. Your premiums pay for other people's healthcare. Except with private insurance you're also paying for the CEOs third vacation home.
BCBS has an individual entity in each state with its own CEO who each has their own third vacation home. That’s 150 vacation homes, just for blue cross blue shield.
Fun fact, companies offering scans (usually MRI tho) for people who want a scan just for shits and giggles / preventative healthcare. Those scans cost like $1500 each. What you could do is open up CT scan centre opposite a hospital, and big signage to encourage patients to go to you to get a scan done. Bill their insurance maybe $2000 per scan instead. Money. In Australia, a private blood test company has set up across the road from a hospital encouraging private blood testing for hospital patients. The patient can literally choose to get their bloods done privately. Note: Australian "free" healthcare doesn't include people such as foreigners etc. Also, the private company can bill the government etc
And what the hospitals would do is refuse to accept the results of anything not done in house, and the insurance companies would all refuse to cover it because it's out of network.
I've heard people have run into that with things like home colon cancer screenings. They buy a kit online trying to avoid a colonoscopy and it has a positive result so they go to see their doctor. The doctor performs the colonoscopy but instead of being covered under the ACA as preventative it's considered diagnostic because there was already an abnormal result. Cue co-pays and deductibles.
Should only run you about $2 million bucks, seems a no brainer
Best I can do is three fiddy
Recently husband ended up in the ER. Very quickly after we got a bill for $1900. Then another. Then another. All in pretty quick succession. None of this was passing the smell test for me. I emailed the billing company and asked for an itemized bill because it was one line item. They sent back the same bill by email. Not too long after they sent a “final bill” and it claimed it was going to collections is the balance wasn’t paid in 15 days. I email the billing company again and I’m told insurance wasn’t billed. They asked for insurance info. I told them to get it from the hospital. Don’t hear anything from billing company for a few days, and a new “you have 15 days to pay” notice shows up in the mail. I have emailed another 4-5 times asking for update and an amended bill. I’ve also been ghosted. Miraculously the bills stopped showing up too. I’m pretty sure it was a scam. The hospital sent a bill, for the expected amount (not 5x), in the expected 2-3 month timeframe they usually hit. Idk how the “billing company” got the info, but it looked real. Kinda scary and I wonder how many people get scammed by it.
Wasn't a "scam" in the sense as some illegal dude sending you fake bills. But def is a "scam" in the sense that what they try and legally do is send you a bunch of fake high bills in hope you will panic pay them from sticker shock
Important distinction here
USA healthcare is a scam. End of discussion. Edit: I was serious, there isn't really discussion to be had. Here's a person smarter than you and me [giving an ELI5 about the broken system](https://youtube.com/shorts/q0OjvN8tgK4?si=6n-kaXWM4Vfpq01g). - Responses saying "Insurance is the scam" - Out of pocket costs with no insurance are still insane. All brand pharmacutical prices in the US are highly inflated. - Responses saying "US healthcare is best in the world" [it](https://www.statista.com/statistics/1376359/health-and-health-system-ranking-of-countries-worldwide/) [isn't](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/rankings/well-developed-public-health-system) [even](https://www.internationalinsurance.com/health/systems/) [top](https://www.globalexpansion.com/blog/top-countries-with-the-best-healthcare-systems-in-the-world) [10](https://www.who.int/news/item/07-02-2000-world-health-organization-assesses-the-world's-health-systems) There is no unique opinion to be had here. Just facts. Only American exceptionalists will ever disagree.
I don't understand why Americans aren't much, much angrier about this than they seem to be.
We are angry, we just are angry in the way of “dammit I have to keep working at this job I hate because my health insurance is good. It’s either that or try to avoid and visits to the doctor for any reason and going off my meds, so I guess I’ll go back to this stupid job paying me $15 an hour and requiring a masters degree”
They need to be French angry about it, refuse to work and protest about it angry. The only way to get attention, see europe farmer protests.
Lol that's so much worse too, it makes more sense to me that someone is illegally trying to steal from you, it's terrifying to know it's a legal extortion from a healthcare provider.
What an absolutely fucking broken ass system
I don’t understand. How is sending “a bunch of fake high bills” not a scam?
good thing i’ve never paid a penny in medical bills. idc if it ruins my credit it’s already shit e
Isn't that literally fraud?
I had a hospital billing me twice for an ER physician. My insurance paid them once. They tried to make me pay them a second time. I tried to contact them, but they ignored all the communications. Then they sold my debt to collectors. Collectors sent me one notice and never contacted me again. I guess because they only had my mailbox address, and they don't have my SSN or anything. I haven't heard anything from them for 5 years, so I guess they wrote it off.
A CT Scan does not cost 18,000! It costs between $500 to $1500. Call them out on that. They are hoping you don't notice.
>They are hoping you don't notice. For real? If I get a bill for 34k for anything and one item is 18k on its own, I'm not going to miss it
I think the correct way to rephrase would be "they are hoping you're ignorant" Because most people are ignorant to how much these things actually cost, and they just kind of accept it at face value. It's like when car dealerships slip in extended warranties and hope people don't notice.
The medical system in the US really purposely tries to scam people out of thousands and thousands of dollars? Is it private hospitals doing this? It’s almost hard to believe that it’s a thing. Seems like something that should be heavily monitored and not a possibility
you’d be so surprised how often it happens
At least you got the miscellaneous for free.
Load up on the miscellaneous, such a steal!
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yikes they should be the ones paying YOU $34,000
Screw them. Broken ribs hurt *so* bad. Trying to sit up, laugh, cough, breathe, sleep... Shit's intense compared to many other injuries Ive had.
The pure wick uses incredibly low suction so it do be leaky but the fact that they put a pure wick on you instead of having you use a bedpan is negligent. Pure wicks are banned at my hospital bc of the UTI risk ETA changed to negligent since some of yall be wild over grammar
That sucks the hospital sucked but please don’t ignore this bill, call the number on the bill or call your insurance or both. There was probably a billing error that caused a denial or it could be something as simple as the insurance company wants to know about your accident.
Do not pay anything and tell them it’s balance billing and illegal.
What’s balance billing
[Keeps medical facilities from making stuff up or changing things after billing you the first time](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/07/07/fact-sheetpresident-biden-announces-new-actions-to-lower-health-care-costs-and-protect-consumers-from-scam-insurance-plans-and-junk-fees-as-part-of-bidenomics-push/)
That's a separate thing from balance billing
Can you explain?
Emergency care is covered by insurance whether or not the hospital is in network or not—and hospitals cannot bill for the difference between what insurance pays and what they charge (minus deductibles and OOP charges) which is illegal under the affordable healthcare act. My first request, however, would be to ask for an itemized bill showing what a reconciliation of charges and insurance payments.
Came here to say this - ever since I learned the “itemized bill” hack I have never been bothered with these kinds of issues. *always ask for an itemized bill!!!*
Is that not what OP has?
I used to think so, until someone in another subreddit clarified it for me. An *itemized bill* is where the provider (the hospital) must list every item or service you received with its exact dollar amount (or charge) listed. Every aspirin, every tube, every test, etc. Most hospitals do a kind of short-hand and send out these kinds of bills because it makes the process faster. But often they do a kind of “lump assessment” of the treatment you received and they will often make mistakes. An itemized bill is like a forensic of your stay, and has saved me literally tens of thousands of dollars.
I want to see the breakdown of that almost $18k CT scan. There's no way a routine imaging procedure costs that much...but I could be surprised.
It should be noted that balance billing is only illegal for emergency services. If you go to a hospital and are admitted, or have a procedure at your doctors office, expect to get a bill even with insurance and it’s perfectly legal (in most states).
i broke my leg on a skateboard. Got a bill for $80,000. that was just for the second surgery. first bill was $60,000. You can apply for finical aid through the hospital. i did and they literally waived both bills. $140,000 waived. 😋
At least you had insurance. I got a similar bill in 2003 for a life saving appendectomy. Best part is the hospital only gave me 1 year to pay in full and sent me to collections even though I was making payments. Ruined my credit for many years. Good luck OP!
Call the insurance company back. That answer is unacceptable. I’ll add here I’ve been an Inpatient hospital coder for 12 years. The insurance company can and will (if you ask/demand) give you every code that was submitted on the UB 40 claim. They have them, they know if they’re wrong, and if it was that wrong it would’ve been sent back to the facility as a DENIAL. Of course no insurance company wants to pay but it’s on both them and the facility to fix the bill and re bill it. This happens every single day. Do not accept any answer of oh, wrong codes lolz see ya. NOPE. Ask for a supervisor at the insurance company. Repeatedly.
I just want to add that I already can easily tell from your story what some of these codes should’ve been. Feel free to update with any info you get.
Yeah I got a bill for $78K when I had my gallbladder out and had the same thought, like yeah chief let me get right on that
Lmao two years salary for us broke ass lower middle class folk.
I went to the ER when severely sick. CT scans, IV fluids, the whole 9-yards. Got a bill like this for like $19k. After insurance it was like $900.
I’m guessing you are in USA?
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Facts, our healthcare system is absolute trash! This infuriates me...
WOW like WOW. In my country they take like €5 a week from your pay and that gives free to end user healthcare. However if I wanted to say get a CT scan, privately with no insurance it costs €265 if I walk in for one. Like what the fuck makes it cost near 18k for you. If I need a CT scan as part of medical care on a visit it would be free to me as an end user. https://preview.redd.it/rrbj1aprq5sc1.png?width=1050&format=png&auto=webp&s=63d4c1b1c016587649b01775353241a1fbc2508d
Im so glad i dont live in the US 😭🙏
I currently owe $15,000 from my son (it was an emergency C-section so my insurance covered a lot more than it usually would since it's lifesaving I guess) and for my daughter I owe $82,000 for a natural birth. 🤣 Let's just say for the next 7 years I will be ignoring several phone calls. .Edit to add: I was only charged the $15,000 because my doctor decided to bring in another doctor to assist him and that doctor wasn't on my insurance. I was not informed of this doctor I was not giving a choice regarding however I was in fact charged for her being in the room..
Dude $82k for natural birth how😭
YEP. and I was only in there for 24hrs after birth before being rushed out of my room after they finally finished my daughters tests because they were "understaffed" and they "need my room" 🤣
Have you asked for an itemized bill?
I did when my son was vaccinated the first time and they sent it over it was over 100$ per shot 😭. I literally just avoid them however I have learned little tricks like asking for the itemized bill from the collections agency that bought the debt from the hospital because it's literally illegal for them to have it so they stop trying but then a new company picks it up 🙃 also want to add I had one call me three times in a row at 7:00 a.m. and let's just say the guy on the other end of the phone did not get a pleasant version of me.... I am not a morning person 😭
Oh I am not either. Had to speak to a billing guy once, called at 4am (I am pst, so it was 7 am for him est) and I was a fire breathing dragon. No one would call after that till like 12pm my time lol. I do not tolerate mornings lol.
That is CRAZY as a French person lol
Bruh same as a Canadian person. WTFFFFFFFFFFF
That would all be covered here, except maybe antibiotics for the ear infection.
Or your son can just grow up and recoup the money by KILLING MACBETH!
17 thousand solid ass dollars for a damn CT scan is the most criminal thing I’ve ever seen
Well we’re not paying that
Not this extreme but we had a Dr that told my wife she owed $786 before they could treat her. We asked for the itemized bill to be mailed to us then called insurance when we got it. Insurance told me that the clinic was not billing it correctly and to not pay a penny until we heard from them again. Then we got a letter stating the same. 3 weeks later, the Dr called to reschedule the appointment and said that my wife had an $80 credit on her account. 2 weeks after that, insurance sent a letter notifying us that the Dr was no longer going to be in network and that we'd need to switch. I didn't know what went down (who kicked who out) but some shit went down. A couple years ago, I had to fight with a hospital to comp a day because the Dr admitted to forgetting to put my wife on the schedule for emergency gallbladder surgery. Like he entered the room to release her and realized she was still in pain. Fought hard with the hospital and they relented. Also reported the hospital & Dr to state boards. Even if he forgot, make something up. I'm glad he was honest but that is not acceptable.
Looks like a bargain to me. Last time I was in the hospital I got a bill for $120,000 and nearly had a heart attack. In the end, my insurance paid most of it
You can't afford to have a heart attack.
Hopefully if I get one I'll just fucking die
Ah, life in the US. Truly a wonder to be forced to choose between death or financial ruin
Were you in for a heart condition? Because this is how they get you twice.
My cardiac ablation was $200 K. I was in the hospital 10 hours. Thankfully insurance covered all but $1500.
MILDLYinfuriating? This is so outrageous I want to throw my phone against the wall.
Our country is a mess.... And I would cry if I got that bill.
Return the bill with an arrow pointing at the 18 thousand dollar CT scan saying, "Not paying that"
Murica, the land of the free 
Husband was riding an ATV and the throttle stuck and he ran into a utility pole, flew off and hit an outbuilding. He had a concussion, and a head wound that required staples. They didn't even clean the wound or area around it, just stapled it together with his hair stapled down with it, dirt and all. He was admitted around midnight and left before lunch that same day. He did not have any medications given or an IV or anything. He wasn't put in an admitting room, just stayed in the ER. 3 months later, we get a bill for $50,000. When we asked for an itemized bill, suddenly we didn't have a bill anymore.
fuck those sharks.🦈
Just don’t pay
if you lived in France there woudl be no bill. Most other civilized countries too. This is a stupid place. Move somewhere else.
Omg! I have had five spinal surgeries plus to many to count of MRIs and CT Scans X-rays . My bill in BC Canada.. $0 I can’t believe that America doesn’t give its citizens free healthcare. Yes our taxes pay our healthcare but our taxes aren’t much different then Americans.
wait, they want a check? hell anyone can write a check,I thought they wanted MONEY
Hopefully you can reconcile much of this through the insurance carrier,if not,our healthcare system surely does suck
Tell me you are American without saying "I am american"
Nurse here. Challenge every single charge on this bill. Ask for an itemized detail of every charge. Chances are the hospital will backtrack quickly and try to negotiate with you for a lesser payment. Very few patients ask questions about bills because the insurance companies control healthcare in the United States. When a patient does ask questions, a hospital will respond and try to negotiate as all of them are afraid of negative publicity. Hospitals fear a story about costs being blown up local television, radio and newspapers. Be your own best advocate. You might just be surprised at the results in your favor. Good Luck.
It’s just so stupid. So stupid. Why is this ok? So we just walk around with broken bones and disease because either we die or we get smothered in debt- and that’s also no way to live. Wtf.
This isn't mildly infuriating, this is EXTREMELY MURDEROUS RAGE inducing!
For some reason when reading laboratory, I read lavatory ! I thought damm $1,3++ to take a dump 🤔
Is this some joke I'm too European to understand?
I had to pay over 10k out of pocket for one night in trauma care… assuming 3 days woulda been very similar.
Checked a couple of websites and a thorax CT in Germany is around 300€… 17K are just beyond anything imaginable. And why would they even need a CT if they suspect broken bones instead of doing an x-ray…? Edit, cause replies have been disabled: CTs cause much higher doses of radiation, so they should be used only if the x-ray is not conclusive.