Health Care Debacle

[OKDem08]

My husband was in the process of being admitted to the hospital today when we were told that our health insurance coverage contained a $1,000 deductible & received a request for payment to the health care facility today. We couldn't come up with the $ and ended up leaving w/out admission.

Health care expenses are becoming financially devastating for us personally (even with insurance coverage). Any advice/suggestions?

[Skittles]

1. and republicans holler about government getting between you and your healtcare?

WTF

OKDem I am hoping someone with knowledge in this area can assist you

K&R

[HiPointDem]

2. wtf? since when do hospitals ask for a deductible up front? i don't have any advice but i'll kick

for visibility.

[RockaFowler]

4. I heard this same thing from a friend of mine

I went to the Emergency Room, so I didn't have to pay my deductible upfront. But she went in as a non-emergency, so she had to pay upfront. That's horrible that they wouldn't let you in for the surgery beforehand. That should be illegal. I guess just go to the ER. They can't turn you away then.

[ejpoeta]

5. how can they make you pay that up front? do they expect hte insurance company

to pay it up front? they submit to the insurance company who pays their part and then they should send a bill. Or offer payment arrangements. How can they not do that? But we have the BEST healthcare in the world! USA USA /sarcasm

[Phentex]

10. Yeah, I don't know why they wouldn't have offered a payment plan...

especially with a high deductible. I guess high is relative. Our deductible is $10,400.

[Vinca]

6. How would the hospital know whether or not your deductible had been met?

Something is fishy.

[Phentex]

9. The hospital can verify this up front...

even though it might not be 100% accurate depending on what else the patient may be doing at the time (ongoing therapy for example). But they can find out approximately how much is left of the deductible. I don't know why they wouldn't offer a payment plan up front.

[Vinca]

7. And another thought - how do they know what their bill is before your husband has the procedure?

Medicine isn't black and white. A $2,000 procedure might end up taking longer and using more supplies.

[docgee]

8. They jack the price up in the first place...

A Tylenol costs $26 and so on, so you pay your deductible and when the hospital submits the bill to the insurance co., the insurance company haggles the bill down. But you still paid your deductible on the original price. (as a percentage is the way my insurance works).

So if the original bill is $10,000, I would pay $2000 deductible, then the insurance would haggle the remaining down to say $5000. You end up paying more than your 20% worth.