Medical billing nightmares: anybody want to share stories?

During my wife's pregnancy on one of her check ups, the doctor told us that there was cause for concern with one of my wife's blood samples and that I should get the same test done as well just to be sure because it would be a bigger deal if we both had the same issue. She told us that her office could handle the blood test, so no big deal, I got the blood test and went on with my day.

1 month later we got a bill for $3k for 1 goddamn blood test. The insurance refused to pay any of it because it was out of network for me because we were at a women's hospital.

I fought it for about 6 months but finally just caved and paid the bill when the hospital started threatening to call a collections agency.

Yes, I went through a horror story about 15 years ago. Broke my arm and didn't have insurance. Broke it on a Sunday afternoon, and knowing I didn't have insurance and wanting to avoid the ER charges, I was going to wait to go to my family doctor the next morning. The pain became unbearable so I broke down around 10 Sunday night and went to the ER. Paid $100, got some x-rays, a couple of vicodin, a splint, and instructions to go see an orthopedist the next day. A week later get a bill for around $5k, just from the ER. The next day get a bill from the ER doctor for another $1k. Long story short, went back and forth with the billing department on why I got 2 separate bills when the ER doctor was an employee of the hospital, and why the bills were so high. 6 months later, and after sending it to collections despite assuring me they wouldn't, they agreed to settle both bills for $2k total.

I know it's a controversial topic, but the saga is why I support some form of a single payer system. Granted, most of the saga was my own fault(not having insurance, engaging in an activity where I could get hurt, etc.) but the mercy your're at when you go get medical care without insurance is frightening and shouldn't happen in a country this advanced.

My wife just had our thrid baby. The bill was unreadable. shite all over it.

One charge was $735 "just in case my wife needed blood". Like, wtf.

My wife was there for 1.5 days, $2K room bill.

$548 to test the babies hearing.

Just keep adding it up.

$1.5K for the doctor to literally catch the baby.

The entire medical industry is a sham.



On top of all that, 1 vist to the doctor ='s like 3 bills.


Now when they call me asking to pay and they get pissy I threaten them to send me to collections so I can pay less.

They usually just shut there trap and get paid when I damn well feel like it.

Sounds like a business opportunity in Medical billing. I'll have to look into this.

Went in for colonoscopy
preapproved
covered 100%
cut out one polyp
changed coding
2k bill

We had a baby a couple months ago and I got a good job offer the day our baby was due. Because of this we put my son on my wife's insurance even though she had a $2500 deductible plan. We knew we were going to be spending at least $2500 for the birth and were fine with that. Well they test him for jaundice before we leave the hospital and they say his levels are raised so we need to go get a blood test for him in two days. Two days later his number is still high so we have to go check back into the hospital for one night to have him sit under a light. Since we left the hospital and came back, my son was now his own person and not covered under my wife. So boom we got hit with another $2500 deductible to sit under a freakin light. Next time I will tell them I am not leaving the hospital until his number comes down and they can rack up the charges under my wife's name who already hit her max out of pocket.