# Hospital charged Insurance 14,000 dollars for one over night stay.



## Robert59 (Dec 12, 2019)

Hospital did also a one MRI and lot of other blood tests and x-rays. They said they checking too see if I had a stroke. My blood pressure was 234 over 100.


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## win231 (Dec 12, 2019)

There is NO fraud like medical billing.


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## Knight (Dec 13, 2019)

Robert59 said:


> Hospital did also a one MRI and lot of other blood tests and x-rays. They said they checking too see if I had a stroke. My blood pressure was 234 over 100.


 At that blood pressure level no wonder they took the kind of precaution they did. Sounds to me like they were doing  CYA But we know hospitals grab all they can get from patients with insurance because of EMTLA

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Medical_Treatment_and_Active_Labor_Act
If you decide to check out the article scroll to the bottom to see what the cost to hospitals was way back in 2004. Imagine now.


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## GreenSky (Dec 13, 2019)

They always bill a lot more than what they will receive.  It's simply a matter of bookkeeping to make it look like a large write-off.

I get calls from clients all the time about this.  It's really no big deal.  Your insurance will pay the contracted rate.

Rick


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## Ladybj (Jan 5, 2020)

GreenSky said:


> They always bill a lot more than what they will receive.  It's simply a matter of bookkeeping to make it look like a large write-off.
> 
> I get calls from clients all the time about this.  It's really no big deal.  Your insurance will pay the contracted rate.
> 
> Rick


I agree.. but the down side is some people do not have a secondary insurance to take care of their deductible if their deductible has not been met with all the test they perform.. Xrays, MRI, etc.  And in some instances, the secondary insurance do not take care of it all.  I worked in medical billing for years...its more than a notion to say the least,


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## fmdog44 (Jan 5, 2020)

I saw a news piece on Medicare last week saying doctors don't know the price of drugs they prescribe and because of that drug makers are soaking Medicare dry. Insist on generic when possible.


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## Robert59 (Jan 6, 2020)

Love to have Medicare but to young to get it. Only 59.


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## Don M. (Jan 6, 2020)

It's well documented that we pay twice as much for health care, in the U.S., than most other nations....yet rank way down the list in terms of results received for that money.   At some point, costs are going to rise to the point where we have no other option than to begin a transition to Universal Health care.  
I still remember being in the hospital for 2 or 3 days, for pneumonia when I was about 8 years old....and my old Dad complaining about receiving a bill for about $75....those days are Long Gone.


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## Knight (Jan 6, 2020)

fmdog44 said:


> I saw a news piece on Medicare last week saying doctors don't know the price of drugs they prescribe and because of that drug makers are soaking Medicare dry. Insist on generic when possible.


Really want to save money on meds including generic look up what    GoodRx. com      has to offer.


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## Autumn72 (Mar 14, 2020)

Knight said:


> Really want to save money on meds including generic look up what    GoodRx. com      has to offer.


The bill for May 2019 for the ambulance that took me into the hospital two streets over, was for $3,000.00. can you believe this?

Why China becomes cheap labor. So they don't hookup with USSR to take us over. We take away from America to give all the celebrities who have mansions to open clothing businesses in China, then they build modern high risers apartments that no Chinese can afford to live in because they don't get enough money, yet China decided to run over to the Pacific Islands to buy their islands so it becomes a hop, skip and a jump from America takeover. 

Ghost town of newly built apartments China workers can't afford??!? Was online video American journalist  .......hmmm something else smells funny over there.


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## Camper6 (Mar 18, 2020)

GreenSky said:


> They always bill a lot more than what they will receive.  It's simply a matter of bookkeeping to make it look like a large write-off.
> 
> I get calls from clients all the time about this.  It's really no big deal.  Your insurance will pay the contracted rate.
> 
> Rick


That's fraud isn't it?


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## WhatInThe (Apr 22, 2020)

Camper6 said:


> That's fraud isn't it?


Maybe although it's purposely misleading. The medical industry even fought at least one disclosure/menu pricing bill this year. True they can't predict the final cost of YOUR visit and needed supplies, treatments, tests etc but those individual things should a price, one price.

Also I had to use a self pay discounted plan which supposedly based on cost. One night hospital stay was considered $1500 just for the bed and staff-the basics, anything else I would need was billed extra. People with insurance were averaging 3000-5000 a night.


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## Ladybj (Apr 23, 2020)

My son spent about 2  1/2 weeks in the hospital (two different times within a month).  His bill came to $72,000...


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## win231 (Apr 23, 2020)

When my mother had appendicitis, Kaiser Permanente ("Top Rated Health HMO") sent her home with gas pills three times.
I have no medical education, but I could see the bulge through her nightgown & she had a temperature & I told the ER doctor to check for appendicitis.  He responded by asking me what medical school I graduated from.  They sent her home.

I called paramedics & they didn't want to risk a 7-mile trip to Kaiser again & they took her to a closer hospital 1-mile away where she wasn't a member.  As they were getting her ready for surgery, her appendix burst & they were barely able to save her.  She later needed a second surgery because the infection spread when her appendix burst & they had to remove a section of intestine - because of their 3-day delay.

Here's where the billing came in:  _Kaiser wanted her to pay $10,000.00 for the 1-mile ambulance ride to the closer hospital.... when it was THEIR fault & after almost causing her death.  _They said she was treated at a non-Kaiser facility.

They sent a couple of letters demanding payment.  I wrote to their "Director of Nursing."  My correspondence ended with: _"Kaiser provides wonderful dedicated care.....for patients who want to end their lives," _along with a few choice names.  I also said, "Best of luck collecting the $10,000.00."  Then, I asked if they would like me to come in & discuss the bill.  They said, "That won't be necessary."

I guess they didn't want to meet me in person......which really hurt my delicate feelings.


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## win231 (Apr 23, 2020)

Just as ridiculous:
12 years ago, after feeling strange for a few weeks, my sister tested me with her glucose meter and, just as I suspected, my glucose was over 500.  She insisted on taking me to the ER.  I sat there for an hour.  I got 2 shots of insulin.  During that hour, a doctor stuck him head in the room & said, "I consider you diabetic, & left."  Well....we already figured that out.
While I was there, someone brought a meal for me:  Turkey, string beans, a _soda & chocolate pudding.  _I didn't know anything about diabetes then, & I have a sweet tooth, so, naturally I went for the pudding first.  My sister walked in & yelled, _*"NO." *_ Then she yelled at nurses - _"You know he's diabetic & you bring him pudding & soda?"_

Just before I was sent home, a woman from their billing department came in & handed me an invoice - $3,500.00,  I gave her my credit card. She came back with the invoice stamped "Paid in Full."

Here's the bill kicker:  A couple of weeks later, I started getting bills for $4,000.00 from other hospitals 100's of miles away that I'd never been to. I phoned them to ask about the bills & they said, "We sent your charts to other doctors for evaluation, so you have to pay them, too."
I asked, "When did I authorize you to have other doctors evaluate my chart?"
She said, "Well, they need to be paid."  I said, "Great - *YOU pay them."*

Yeah.....phony evaluations from "other doctors."


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## Ladybj (Apr 23, 2020)

win231 said:


> Just as ridiculous:
> 12 years ago, after feeling strange for a few weeks, my sister tested me with her glucose meter and, just as I suspected, my glucose was over 500.  She insisted on taking me to the ER.  I sat there for an hour.  I got 2 shots of insulin.  During that hour, a doctor stuck him head in the room & said, "I consider you diabetic, & left."  Well....we already figured that out.
> While I was there, someone brought a meal for me:  Turkey, string beans, a _soda & chocolate pudding.  _I didn't know anything about diabetes then, & I have a sweet tooth, so, naturally I went for the pudding first.  My sister walked in & yelled, _*"NO." *_ Then she yelled at nurses - _"You know he's diabetic & you bring him pudding & soda?"_
> 
> ...


I like that... "You pay them".  Love it!!!!!


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## Em in Ohio (Apr 24, 2020)

I would prefer to anesthetise myself and die in the comfort of my own home for free.  These tales are unbelievable atrocities, but I do believe.


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## In The Sticks (Apr 24, 2020)

I had a small stroke (TIA) in early January.

-CT scan in Emergency Room
-Blood work in Emergency Room
-One night in the hospital for observation
-One blood thinner shot
-4 baby aspirin
-Brain MRI
-Echo cardiogram
-Doppler screening on my arteries

Hospital Invoice (not including the MRI/CT scan/cardiogram/screening): $18,000
Paid by Medicare+Supplemental Insurance+Out of Pocket deductable:   $  1,500

It's insane.  What leverage does someone _without_ insurance have (and I've been there)?  Are they really held to account for the inflated initial invoice?


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## Em in Ohio (Apr 24, 2020)

In The Sticks said:


> I had a small stroke (TIA) in early January.
> 
> -CT scan in Emergency Room
> -Blood work in Emergency Room
> ...


I'm wondering what they charged you for the four baby aspirin?  Almost 30 years ago, I was charged an outrageous amount for a comb! I did not request this item (drugstore - 10 cents); this item was not needed to restore my health.  And yet - hey, they provided it, so you have to pay.


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## Chrissy (Apr 30, 2020)

This is an interesting post to me as I lived in the USA for 15 years.  My X was feeling bad one day so I took him to emergency in Vancouver WA thinking it might be his heart.  To make a long story short it wasn't but they kept him overnight.  The bill when we checked out was $14,000.00.  

Two weeks later we got bills for the doctors, the attendants, the food he ate, the physio he received.  It didn't stop.   I am so glad I live in Canada now.  Do we pay more taxes....yes we do.  But we get our money's worth as we get older and start using the system.  I have had one surgery (thyroid) since coming home and haven't had to pay a penny out of my pocket.  

I waited 2 months to get in for my surgery so no wait time.  I listen to horror stories all the time about medical stuff in the USA and I am so thankful to be back in Canada.


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## win231 (Apr 30, 2020)

Chrissy said:


> This is an interesting post to me as I lived in the USA for 15 years.  My X was feeling bad one day so I took him to emergency in Vancouver WA thinking it might be his heart.  To make a long story short it wasn't but they kept him overnight.  The bill when we checked out was $14,000.00.  Two weeks later we got bills for the doctors, the attendants, the food he ate, the physio he received.  It didn't stop.   I am so glad I live in Canada now.  Do we pay more taxes....yes we do.  But we get our money's worth as we get older and start using the system.  I have had one surgery (thyroid) since coming home and haven't had to pay a penny out of my pocket.  I waited 2 months to get in for my surgery so no wait time.  I listen to horror stories all the time about medical stuff in the USA and I am so thankful to be back in Canada.


Every person who walked into the room has a bill attached, whether they did anything useful or not.
You may have noticed patients getting blood drawn every few hours.  After each draw, the nurse goes to the computer to enter a bill.  That's also the reason for so many unnecessary blood draws.  I was visiting a patient & the blood lady walked in.  The patient said, "NO MORE...you've been taking blood every 2 hours & it's not necessary...'bye."


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## mathjak107 (May 10, 2020)

In The Sticks said:


> I had a small stroke (TIA) in early January.
> 
> -CT scan in Emergency Room
> -Blood work in Emergency Room
> ...




you can negotiate ....  i paid a fraction of the price when i had an mri done and didn't get a preapproval first ......i thought the office did that so insurance denied the claim . out of 2400 i think i paid 600 dollars at the time


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## Mister E (May 10, 2020)

win231 said:


> There is NO fraud like medical billing.


Oh yes there are ! Lawyers , and vet's !


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## Lewkat (May 10, 2020)

Yes, the bills are definitely outrageous and this is mainly due to the insurance companies and the manner in which everything is run.  But, here in the U.S. Negotiation is the watchword, from lab testing, to pharma, doctor's fees and hospital costs.  Never be afraid to do this.  There really is a lot of pro bono work and lowered fees in our medical system.  I have long maintained that if U.S. medical systems adopted the Cleveland Clinic program, there'd be no problem.  Another problem which drives all costs up are the outrageous costs of malpractice insurance.  Mine was sky high and I'd never had to use it.  Waste of money in most cases.


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## In The Sticks (May 10, 2020)

Lewkat said:


> Yes, the bills are definitely outrageous and this is mainly due to the insurance companies and the manner in which everything is run.  But, here in the U.S. Negotiation is the watchword, from lab testing, to pharma, doctor's fees and hospital costs.  Never be afraid to do this.  There really is a lot of pro bono work and lowered fees in our medical system.  I have long maintained that if U.S. medical systems adopted the Cleveland Clinic program, there'd be no problem.  Another problem which drives all costs up are the outrageous costs of malpractice insurance.  Mine was sky high and I'd never had to use it.  Waste of money in most cases.


You hit on a few things:

1-Sit in front of a collections person if you can with your checkbook and offer to make your invoices go away "for the right price."

2-Tort reform!!!  The days of rejecting frivolous lawsuits are long gone and we all pay for this mentality of people thinking they've hit the lottery if something imperfect (real or perceived) happens.  I have a $1,000,000 umbrella policy merely because I own a house and someone might hurt themselves within it's boundaries.  Makes me sick!!!

3-Lots of people are getting care at no cost to them, and it's worked into the prices everyone else pays.  It is the most perfect, most efficient, lowest cost way to do it.  But as you said, it needs to be universally formalized.


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## Butterfly (May 14, 2020)

In The Sticks said:


> You hit on a few things:
> 
> 1-Sit in front of a collections person if you can with your checkbook and offer to make your invoices go away "for the right price."
> 
> ...



I strongly agree about tort reform, but I doubt it will happen as long as most legislators are also lawyers.  As part of that, I would like to see "loser pays" legislation that makes the filers of frivolous lawsuits pay the legal fees and costs of the person against whom they filed the frivolous lawsuit.

The problem with the system as it is, even if you are insured, is that somebody can file a frivolous suit with absoltely no factual or legal merit at all and your insurance company nine times out of ten will go ahead and settle with the plaintiff because that's usually cheaper in the end than taking the matter all the way through the courts.  Then, of course, the insurer raises its rates and/or refuses to renew your coverage.


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## MeAgain (May 15, 2020)

Ladybj said:


> My son spent about 2  1/2 weeks in the hospital (two different times within a month).  His bill came to $72,000...



Its just another way to put many people in the street. They will put a lien on your home for a bill. Many think they are ok till they apply for a loan or try to sell and the lein comes up. Plus it has been gaining interest for however long its been.
  Just like Asset Forfieture can clean your clock on the road or even in your home.


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## Aneeda72 (May 15, 2020)

Butterfly said:


> I strongly agree about tort reform, but I doubt it will happen as long as most legislators are also lawyers.  As part of that, I would like to see "loser pays" legislation that makes the filers of frivolous lawsuits pay the legal fees and costs of the person against whom they filed the frivolous lawsuit.
> 
> The problem with the system as it is, even if you are insured, is that somebody can file a frivolous suit with absoltely no factual or legal merit at all and your insurance company nine times out of ten will go ahead and settle with the plaintiff because that's usually cheaper in the end than taking the matter all the way through the courts.  Then, of course, the insurer raises its rates and/or refuses to renew your coverage.


There are laws against frivolous lawsuits in our state.  Also my son with DS was in an Car accident and the insurance company offered money to him.  But he hadn’t been hurt even though he was taken to the hospital.

I knew the law said he couldn’t take the money.  I am surprised the insurance company didn’t know the law.  We had to decline the check, shame, he could have used the money.


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## Butterfly (May 16, 2020)

Aneeda why couldn't your son take the money offered?  Was it because it would have messed up his benefits eligibility?


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