Can I challenge a hospital bill?
Michael T
following a rather serious automobile accident? I was in the hospital less
than 1/2 day and there was no surgery - just a lot of testing and pain
killer meds.
Can I hire someone (legal aid, private attorney, debt counselor, etc.) to
negotiate with the hospital?
I lost my job (and my health insurance) as a software engineer in July and
at 62 years of age my prospects for new employment are bleak at best.
I was also burglarized on Labor Day and this month I learned a dear friend
has terminal colon cancer. So it has not been a 'happy' time.
It would be nice to think there is another option besides bankruptcy -
especially since the bill seems excessive. I mean $5800 for a CT-Scan seems
a bit excessive.
Thank you for your time.
Michael T.
Daniel R. Reitman
wrote:
>What are my options when I receive an emergency room bill for almost $10,000
>following a rather serious automobile accident? I was in the hospital less
>than 1/2 day and there was no surgery - just a lot of testing and pain
>killer meds.
>. . . .
To start with, have you called your insurer?
Daniel Reitman
Jim Ranieri
"Michael T" <anon...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:uvqmq09608ddtdhtj...@4ax.com...
I don't know about an individual challenging or negotiating a reduced fee
but insurance companies do it all the time. You can almost certainly make
payment arrangements, though. A manageable monthly payment, usually without
interest, can be arranged.
Good luck.
jo...@yahoo.com
wrote:
>What are my options when I receive an emergency room bill for almost $10,000
>following a rather serious automobile accident? I was in the hospital less
>than 1/2 day and there was no surgery - just a lot of testing and pain
>killer meds.
Did you have an auto insurance? Was the accident your fault? Consult a
lawyer to find out what legal options you have to help cover your
bills. Many times a hospital will reduce your bill through
negotiations, it all depends on your assets and situation.
Paul Cassel
>
> I don't know about an individual challenging or negotiating a reduced fee
> but insurance companies do it all the time.
>
I have mediated cases where individuals do just this. Due to factors too
complex to go into here, hosptials and other providers must charge
individuals their fantastically inflated UCR's, but they don't need to
stick to them in negotiations.
-paul
Arthur L. Rubin
Michael T wrote:
>
> What are my options when I receive an emergency room bill for almost $10,000
> following a rather serious automobile accident? I was in the hospital less
> than 1/2 day and there was no surgery - just a lot of testing and pain
> killer meds.
Emergency room bills are quite high these days, because they have
to treat any case which really IS an emergency, without checking
for insurance coverage or assets.
Options that I can see for getting third-party payment include:
Medical insurance: Although it appears your COBRA enrollment period
has expired, check the details. Many companies offer a health insurance
extension for a number of days, and the COBRA enrollment window starts
after that extension expires. If you're in in the enrollment window,
which I believe is 45 days, you can get retroactive coverage.
Auto insurance: If you have medical coverage on YOUR auto insurance
policy, medical expenses related to an automobile accident may be
covered. If you are not entirely at fault, the other party's auto
insurance should cover some of the expenses. (If the party at
fault is uninsured, YOUR auto insurance may provide the coverage
they should have had.)
>
> Can I hire someone (legal aid, private attorney, debt counselor, etc.) to
> negotiate with the hospital?
You can hire anyone you want to negotiate with the hospital. Whether
it would do any good is another question. I don't see a significant
legal issue, but a debt counselor might be able to point out that
if they demand immediate payment, they may get very little if
you declare bankruptcy, while they may get more if you are allowed
to pay over time.
It also may not be necessary. Many hospitals and doctors offer a
significant discount for "cash", even with installment payments.
...
> It would be nice to think there is another option besides bankruptcy -
> especially since the bill seems excessive. I mean $5800 for a CT-Scan seems
> a bit excessive.
Not really. You haven't priced CT scans lately. We have.
(Please don't ask WHY we have in this group. I don't want to talk
about it.)
--
This account is subject to a persistent MS Blaster and SWEN attack.
I think I've got the problem resolved, but, if you E-mail me
and it bounces, a second try might work.
However, please reply in newsgroup.
Jim Ranieri
"Paul Cassel" <pa...@abq.com> wrote in message
news:hps8r0t0ru603ipk1...@4ax.com...
Interesting. How does an individual initiate the negotitation process with a
health care provider?
Jim
Jim Ranieri
paragraphs 87-90, technicians and scientists carry on their work
largely as a surrogate activity; that is, they satisfy their need for
power by solving technical problems. They will continue to do this
with unabated enthusiasm, and among the most interesting and
challenging problems for them to solve will be those of understanding
the human body and mind and intervening in their development. For the
"good of humanity," of course.
165. But suppose on the other hand that the stresses of the coming
decades prove to be too much for the system. If the system breaks down
there may be a period of chaos, a "time of troubles" such as those
that history has recorded: at various epochs in the past. It is
impossible to predict what would emerge from such a time of troubles,
but at any rate the human race would be given a new chance. The
greatest danger is that industrial society may begin to reconstitute
itself within the first few years after the breakdown. Certainly there
will be many people (power-hungry types especially) who will be