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.
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.
On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 13:42:17 -0500, "Michael T" <anonym...@cox.net> 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. >. . . .
> 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.
> 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.
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.
On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 13:42:17 -0500, "Michael T" <anonym...@cox.net> 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.
> 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.
(Rewriting my previous attempt, to add more legal content)
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.
> > 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.
Interesting. How does an individual initiate the negotitation process with a health care provider?
explained in 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
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