The medical world sucks.

Well, for those of you that are of age and can be affected by what I'm talking about, the medical world when it comes to being treated is good, but the medical world when it comes to your bill is very stressful. About 8 months or so back I went to the hospital a couple of times for my anxiety (when I first started getting it and was having some weird things go on, so I got nervous). I racked up a little over $900 for the two visits, which isn't too bad for most hospital visits.

Now, I didn't have medical insurance at the time so the bills had to come out of my pocket, which I did not have the money for all at once like that. They were eventually sent to collections and I paid two of the four bills that were put on my credit report as KD's. they were both small doctor fee's, $30 and $26. I still currently have $847 worth on my report, which will be taken care of with my tax return.


My point of this post is the fact that three years ago, when I got my first credit card, and opened my first checking account and all that yada yada, I made it a goal to keep my credit good, for benefit to myself as well as my family, including my currently 18 1/2 month old daughter. Up until the time I went to the hospital I went from a starters score all the way to a 720, these hospital bills, two of which are still sitting on my report until I pay them in February and file the paid in full disputes have lowered my hard working score over two hundred points and sent me into financial stress big time.

Basically, hospitals treat you, and then suck the life blood out of you anyway they can, not to mention the mass array of phone calls I get everyday from collection agencies, though I have already told them that they will be paid in February, because I really don't like that fact that I had my not far from perfect credit rating destroyed because of them. Hell, I've managed to maintain 6 credit cards for a couple years now, never late, and never just a minimum payment in 24+ months, the hospital bills are my only negative thing. Damn this world, lol.

 

How frustrating...I raised 2 children as a single parent and received NO child support. To say financially things were difficult is an understatement. I often didn't eat so there would be enough food for my kids. My kids always received medical treatment when necessary, were never behind on their immunizations and both were hospitalized at different times.

My children are now grown with families of their own and I'm disabled. Yes I have Medicare but here's the thing...they only pay a maximum of 80%, more often than not, it's less than that or not a covered expense. I have over the last 16 years paid off thousands of dollars in medical bills and my income is by federal standards below the poverty level but I am not eligible (in FL) for Medicaid so it all has to come out of my pocket.

If you agree to pay as little as $5.00 a month (more when you can) they will NOT turn it over to a collection agency. I'm currently paying a bill from Mayo clinic (after Medicare paid their share) that is now down to $2150.00...I've already paid $1500.00.

Then there is the cost of my prescriptions every month...need I go on?

Get rid of the credit cards...if you are using credit cards to make purchases you are paying more than is needed in the first place once the monthly interest is added on. Additionally, you are likely making purchases for things that you really don't need.

Ask yourself this...is this purchase something I want or something I need to survive? There's a big difference between needs and wants.

I find it ironic that you can pay more than the monthly payment on your credit cards but NOT pay a lousy $5.00 a month for a medical bill. The medical staff was there to help when you NEEDED them but you feel your credit cards are more important....go figure...no wonder people like me have to pay so much in order to make up for people that don't pay their bills.

 

>>> Now, I didn't have medical insurance at the time so the bills had to come out of my pocket... INeedAGig1210 <<<

Unfortunately, not having any medical insurance whatsoever these days is like driving a car or truck for a living and not having any auto insurance coverage - it is literally an accident waiting to happen.

For anyone else reading this thread; who genuinely cannot afford medical insurance, almost all hospitals (at least in the U.S.) have some form of FREE CARE insurance which reimburses the hospital for almost all of your bill. It is paid for by the state and local governments.

However you must APPLY for this free care insurance A.S.A.P. If anybody reading this finds themselves in "INeedAGig1210’s" situation; do yourself a big favor and immediately file for this Free Care coverage… like the day you are admitted. Because the amount of money reimbursed to the hospital is often limited; there is a "time limit" to applying and therefore, the longer you wait to fill out the necessary forms - the more chance there is that you will not be covered.

I totally agree with you; about the hospitals being greedy. I was in the hospital one time for a grand total of less than two weeks - about 9 or 10 days, I think. About 95 percent of the hospitalization consisted of lying in a room, watching TV and being fed three squares.

Anyway, they charged my insurance company tens of thousands of dollars! And then after they got all of that dough; they continued to "nickel and dime" me by sending me extra bills for remote confusingly worded "tests" as well as other bills for "consultation" services from doctors who I never even met! I continued receiving these bills for months after the hospitalization. It was totally ridiculous!

Good Luck!

 

Wow, not a very positive response, which is understandable. Yeah, a lot of people don't pay there medical bills, which is yet another reason that medical bills are so high in the first place on top of prescriptions and everything else. As far as me not paying them, I did pay the doctors fee's and I have paid some towards the others, they are just not fully paid off and are still sitting on there. Yes, I could have kept them from going to collections, but obviously I didn't, and it will be totally taken care of in February when I get my income taxes back. So, it's not like I'm not doing anything about it, it's just taking 10 months or so.


Yeah, I could probably drop a couple of cards, but even to have decent credit, you need two or more major credit cards. I already plan on dropping two of them, and just keeping four, the three major and one department store. But you have to realize too, I've never been late on them, they really haven't put me into debt considering I don't have a high balance on any of them currently. I don't want this to turn into some battle thread, all I was saying is that everything sucks the life blood out of you these days. You guys are all making the comments about how I was always making more than the minimum payment and everything instead of paying the bills, I did make some payments, I then lost the job I had at the time, couldn't afford anymore than feeding my daughter for two months and the rest of it was sent to collections, and basically now, I am going to have my credit rating in the shit hole for a few months. I do have a decent paying job again, but with tax return season a couple of months away and the bills already sitting there and even making payments right now wouldn't boost my rating back up until they are paid off, I'll just wait and take $847 of my tax return, call them up, pay it all off within 5 minutes and be done with it.

 

What do you think tends to lean more towards greedy....a hospital charging 5 grand to save your life or Ford charging 40 grand to buy a new Mustang? Now consider your answer carefully, not many dead guys driving Mustangs these days.

No doubt healthcare costs are through the roof...as are the costs of pretty much everything else. Unions and deadbeats contribute their share. And who do people turn to for help? The government everyone loves to hate! They have programs to assist in every concievable area. And in my only sarcastic comment in this post, feel free to take it from the space program; no new ground broken there.

 

Been there done that...and often even with Medicare I have to pay the full shot b/c hospitals/Dr's don't accept it b/c their payment guidelines are so low. It's still do-able if you cut out the things you don't really need.

Don't forget this is also based on income and assets. I have applied for this before and been granted help. I have also applied and been denied due to assets I had at the time...like after I bought my house when I lived in NY and had a new car...this was before I became disabled. Even though I had monthly payments for the house and car they were 'sell-able and/or had some equity' in order to pay for medical bills.

RE: Consultants..you don't have to see a Dr. to be charged for a consultation. It is common practice for Dr's to consult with other Dr's on your case...especially common when hospitalized. If a Dr (other than your primary) reviews your file, test results, etc. and then discusses it with your treating physician they are entitled to a consultation fee. They don't have to physically see you.

Re: Confusingly worded tests...you can always find out specifically what the tests were by calling and inquiring about them...a little research via the net or your nearest library will usually give you the answers. Or even better..talk to your Dr about it to get specifics. If in fact there was a billed charge that was erroneous it's not that difficult to dispute it and receive credit for it.

 

HEy Compu... I tried that a couple years back when I was laid off. Y'know what I got told, that with bills totalling almost $800/month and my unemployment of ~$300/month, I made too much money. Public assistance/Medicaid is a joke. The only way to get on it in Central NY is to either come from a family of Meidcaid recipients or to move here from another country. I have lost more things in life due to a mental disorder or 2 that I could not get treated than I have to anyhting else, and the fact htat with my documented conditions, I qualify for full disability (bipolar and OCD) but continue to work to contribute because that is my way. When I was down though... I got squat.

It is a great idea, but in practice, medicaid is a joke IMHO

~C

 

I think canada has sort of the same thing going on as the UK, I don't know which is better but it is free to goto a doctor , clinic, or hospital for a checkup , emegency, or if your stuck in a hospital bed after surgery or whatever.
Mind you, if you need a ride in an Ambulance, thats gonna cost you big time, no figures to give, but a 10 min drive will end up being hundreds.
In Saskatewan, the only province I believe, even dental is free.
Its too bad that money is such a hurdle in life, and can be such a burden, but thats life, and I don't suspect its gonna get much better any time soon.
Jaza

 

Well, it would in a limo too, but I haven't seen many limos with defibrullators in them.

 

The average cost here is $300-$500.

 

Social benefits like medicine belong to a country's concept of itself. Americans have been fighting improvement in the billing aspects of medical care for many years, because there is a lack of understanding as to how medical care is billed in countries which have a more nationalized approach.

I live in Germany, and we pay for medicine all the time. Everyone who is working pays for medical care on a scale dependent on their income. It comes out of your income like taxes, but is not taxes. It's earmarked for whatever company you sign up with. When you need medical care, the bills are paid by this source of wealth which is created by everyone paying all the time. For the most part, you never see a bill for health care and hospital visits. Children don't pay for medical or dental care. Recently, we have to pay 10 Euros a quarter, once. Insurance in Germany is not state-owned, but it is state-regulated. The insurance companies cannot tell you they won't take you because of previous illnesses or injuries. If one person in a family works, the others are covered by a family policy. If another person in the family also works, then both pay into this medical pool. This idea of a general expense, similar to what we pay for interstate highways or the military, has not yet caught on in the U.S., but it will take a great deal of stress out of people's lives when it finally gets organized. You may end up paying the same high bills that you get now, but the paying of them simply becomes a routine part of your paying everything else, and the bills don't gang up on you like they do now. Does that make sense? Britain has a different system, as do the Scandanavian countries, but some type of regulated nationalized form of health care is a concept which is pretty widespread now.

abri

 

Having lived in the U.S., U.K. and Sweden, as well here in Australia, I know medical costs were way higher, (at least they were in Cal.), than in the in the other countries. Sweden had the best benefits and Social Services by far - but here's the kicker. It also has steep taxes to pay for it. All I can say, is at least there you could see the tax Kroners at work.

They have Medicare here in Aust., which is similar to N.H.S. in the U.K., but not quiet as bogged down (although it won't take too many years longer to get that way). Getting increasingly harder to find a Doc that 'Bulk Bills', meaning he/she charges their fees to Medibank. About 3% (might be 5%, now), Income Tax is paid and goes towards the cost of Medicare. But it seems the $'s spent on it is outstripping the money paid in.

Anyway, it saves me $45.00 (AUD) - $65.00(AUD) for Drs. consultation fees (80% paid for). I still have to pay for medicines, specialists, and so on. Re: ambulance fees. Yup, I have two of them to pay from October - about $1,200 bucks worth total, <yipe!>. I've paid one of them, one more to go.

Basically, the amount of Medicare overage here is pretty good for those who are on Social Services. Tuff luck for most of it if you earn decent money. Ah well. Which reminds me, I have yet another appointment for the Doc. first thing in the morning.

 

Health care for profit is wrong. Health issues in most cases are a result of society, therefore should be paid for by society. Fast food outlets should pay "fat tax", alchohol manufacturers should pay "carnage-on-the-road tax" and "liver and heart disease tax" (except beer, read this article http://chealth.canoe.ca/columns.asp?columnistid=6&articleid=19075&relation_id=3224 ) Microsoft etc. and TV networks...well we all know what they're doing to kids waistlines.
I pay $96 per month for basic health care, and about $180 for additional health care through my plan at work which covers dental, physio, ambulance rides, chiropractic, prescription, eyecare and life insurance. The additional coverage (still reasonably cheap) I would consider to be "for profit" because that goes to a private insurance company that has to answer to shareholders, therefore cares more about them than my health. I'm ok with that because no matter what happens to me, I'm not gonna lose my house because of a stay in hospital. The government picks up the medical treatment costs, and the private insurance reluctantly pays me some wages while I'm off work. Besides my monthly contribution to basic, a large part of income tax I pay also goes into the fund. Goernments whine about this, and some want to create a two tier system (Queue jumping for the wealthy). The reality is, the interest paid annually on government debt would cover the cost.

 

It is federal law that, if you tell them to NOT CALL ME AGAIN....then they can't!! They have to resort to mail!! Granted...you might have to get a bit rude and or threaten to report them to the appropriate authority...but it can be done...been there done that!!

Unfortunately, you can't do much in life (atleast in the US) without a credit card!! You might not have to pay with it...but you atleast have to have it for purposes of renting a hotel room or renting a car etc., etc.!! However...if you aren't careful...they can definitely get you in trouble!! Been there done that too!!!!

In the meantime...if you aren't looking to buy a house or a new car, or something to that effect that specifically relies on a good credit score...then just let it go, considering that payment is only a couple months away!! I know that is sometimes harder said than done...but it will ease the pain a lot...especially with your anxiety situation!! I had the exact same situation as you (to the fullest possible extent) when I was going through my depression...and after some couseling...I was able to cut away that vicious circle!! Once I paid everything and got all the disputes settled with ALL THREE Credit Bureaus...my score went from mid 500's to low 700's in a matter of a couple of weeks!! Then after another year of doctoring it up some more and the bankrupticy dissappearing ...me and the wife now have a brand new house, a brand new car, and another that is only 4 years old (like new)!!!!

So I guess what I'm trying to say in a nutshell...Don't sweat it too much...with your anxiety condition it will just drive you back to square one!!

But yes...Hospitals are just as bad as anyone else out there that depends on a revenue!! Once you leave that hospital...you are nothing but a person that owes them money...they don't care why!!!!

Just my 2c!!

Roger

 

I've held out for years for the US to go to 'social medicine', but unfortunately, the ehalth care lobby will never let that happen, too much money filling the pockets.

~C

 

I think it will happen. The U.S. has been behind the times in this respect, but there are so many countries to study and learn from that I'm sure we can come up with a plan that will take some of the double whammy out of illness and accident. Doctor/hospital costs are a burden better borne by a large healthy group for those temporarily or long-term ZAPPPP'D by whatever nature and statistics like to dole out.

 

It'll never happen...there's too much profit for the insurance companies, and they'll make sure of it!!

Roger