$85,209.00 hospital bill

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anonymous

New member
I am close to passing out. I just got home from my vacation and I was going through some mail. As you know I was just in the hospital. I think I was only there for less then two weeks.. I can't remember right now but anyway this was a CF hospital that I went to as opposed to my regular hospital that I work at, that I don't ever even get a bill for.. anyway I just opened the bill and it was $85,209.00 and that doesn't include getting my PICC line in or drs fees.. That was just to be in the hospital and for my meds while I was there.....

My insurance only covers 80 percent because it is out of network..This is the first time I ever went out of network or haven't been at the hospital whre I work,,..I am so screwed... I am never ever going to be able to pay that bill ever and gosh I have a million dollar life time limit for my insurance,, at this rate 11 or 12 hospital stays at there hospital and I am done......I can't ever go back there.. besides for the fact that it is two and half hours away, I can't afford to, not that I had planned to anyway, and my doctor wanted to do other tests that I refused because I was afraid insurance wouldn't pay for it..

does anyone have any ideas or know any loopholes to paying 20 percent of this bill???.. I am graduating from Nursing school next year and I will be making decent money but I don't want all my money to go to this one bill..,..and this is just one of my many hospital stays that I have had or will have

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated....
or you could just write me a check for a few million..

Jennifer
 
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rotandroll

New member
Do you have a social worker at your CF care center? They are usually really ontop of such things and will likely be able to help you. They could possibly refer you to a foundation to help with the cost of this current bill. Also, troubleshoot with them and figure out how you can avoid such bills in the past.

I recieved an $87,000 bill in the mail several years ago and was able to work it out after help from my social worker at the time.

Best of luck to you.
 
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anonymous

New member
I requested to see the social worker while I was in the hospital but she apparently does not work there anymore.. I had just switched to this Cf place in March.. so I was not real established yet..needless to say I will not go back there.. They didn't do anything for me that my own hospital hasn't done.

I don't know who I could call as I have tried to call the CF social worker at the hospital and she is gone and my CF center doesn't have a social worker and I am not going back to him anyway. I don't think I have ever seen a bill that big. I am guessing that my meds where a lot I was on Tobi and Fortaz and a bunch of nebulized ones but still...



Jennifer
 
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anonymous

New member
Jennifer- do you live in NJ? I go to St.Vincent's hospital in NYC and the social worker there is great! (in the CF center) Also when I am admitted there is a nurse on the floor who is a patient advocate- that is her job to see what the ins. will cover and set up home care for iv's and stuff. I haven't been admitted in over 2 years, though. You should look into it if you are looking for a new CF center. They are all willing to help you there, and VERY nice!- Carrie,33 w/CF
 
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kybert

New member
<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0"> <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif" border="0">

i envy your hospial care, i dont envy your hospital system. any country that allows a hospital to send an $85000 dollar bill to a sick patient is stupid. what the hell are you suppose to do? avoid hospital until youre so sick that you end up in emergency? dont tell me, if you dont pay the bill they will take something of yours away? it doesnt even cost $85000 to have a cf patient admitted for 2 weeks!

i suggest you fake your own death and move to a country that realises that not everyone is a millionaire.
 
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Mockingbird

New member
Ha, ha. Yeah, Kybert. It's rediculous what some of these hospitals do. Anyone ever had to take an ambulance? Or even worse, an emergency helicopter. I've got an ambulance bill that's a few monbths old... I haven't even opened it 'cause I know it'll be so much. No where near $85,000, but I've had hospital bills like that, too. It's so insane; the hospital charges you for EVERYTHING. Every doctor, every social worker, you could have seen one doctor for only five minutes, and they'll still charge obcene amounts of money. Did they have the bill broken down so you could see how much they charged you just for food? I swear that hospital food can't possibly cost as much as they charge.

Sigh, I understand hospitals have a LOT of expenses, but they're stupid if they think I'm going to be able to pay all those bills. =-) I don't know any loopholes or anything, I just always go with the 'ignore the problem and hope it goes away' ploy. That never works, but at least I don't suffer any stress from it. =-)
 
A

anonymous

New member
OMG, I would start with your states medicaid program, almost all of them go back 90 days in paying bills if you qualify. What state do you live in?

Then I would talk to the CF foundation and see if they can offer any advice, suggestions, recommendations.
Next, contact Beth Sufian and see if she can offer legal advice regarding what you should do and what the hospital can and can't do in collecting their money.

Are you on disability? If not, why not? Do you meet the qualifications, have you even ever applied? Regardless if you are in school or not, there are 3 specific criteria to be considered disabled with CF and you only have to meet or equal one of them, your hospital stay would probably completely qualify you. Let me know if you need info-I went to hell and back with my hubbies case and won after 25+ months.


Next, I would contact the Reach for the Stars foundation for CF and the Milan foudation. They might be able to help here and there with some stuff.

Please keep us updated, I'll look into what I can for you if you would like!

Julie (wife to Mark 24 w/CF)
 
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anonymous

New member
Another thing to keep in the back of your mind...most hospitals bill double what they actually think they're going to get when insurance is involved....
 
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LindseyRose

Member
If bad comes to worse and you end up having to pay for any portion of the bill, call them and ask them if they will reduce the amount by any percentage if you pay them cash (ie- just not through credit, not necessarily cold hard cash). My dad does this all the time with my bills when insurance doesn't cover something. He says "How much will you reduce this if I give you cash right now?" The medical billing places know that many times they will never see the money from their bills because people end up going bankrupt or just don't pay the bills. They may be willing to negotiate the bill if you offer to pay with cash, that way they have the money right away. Obviously, most people don't have thousands of dollars to pay these people...perhaps getting a loan from the bank would be a good way to get some money. Lets see, 20% of $85k is about $17...You could get a loan for whatever they may negotiate and you would have payments on that....but it beats having to come up with $17k on your own.

Good luck!
 
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tommy

New member
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh................ouch, jennifer so sorry to hear of this.  You could just not pay it and let them try and sue you and i'm sure they'll settle out of court for much less, but that is nuts. maybe move to canada....tomo
 
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JazzysMom

New member
I use to work in the billing office of our local hospital. My first question is: Even tho the hospital was out of network for you which makes you responsible for 20%, is the hospital participating with the MultiPlan? If you dont know please check it out. Although you would still be responsible for 20% under the multiplan it would be at a discounted rate. The rate is not as low as if they were in network, but every little bit helps. If your income is eligible you can check on Medicaid, however, chances are good that if your income is too high they will give you a spenddown (deductable) that needs to be met before anything is paid. If that is the case then you still handle most/all of the 20% yourself. Definitely call & work something out if nothing else. I have been the collector as well as the payee & let me tell you that ignoring the issue is not good. You dont know what they will do for you unless you ask. If you ignore it they can go as far (especially considering the hight $$ amount) as issuing a judgement & attaching your wages. This will have an influence on your credit history.
 
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anonymous

New member
Even though we pay more taxes here in Ontario, I couldn't think of a place I would rather be espcially having a child with CF. Having a child with CF is enough to worry about let alone having all those bills on top of that. In my son's 27 years we have never had to pay out anything at all other than 40 cents for prescriptions. I also have been very fortunate to have an excellent drug plan through my employer so if something is not covered by the governement then my plan kicks in. We have never even paid for nuitritional supplements, all have been covered 100%.

My son had a double lung transplant in May of this year and was in ICU for two weeks, unfortunately things did not go as we had hoped, cepacia got into his new lungs and then throughout the rest of his body and he passed away after two weeks. I can't even imagine how much his stay in ICU would have cost.
 
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JazzysMom

New member
<blockquote>Quote<br><hr><i>Originally posted by: <b>Anonymous</b></i><br>Another thing to keep in the back of your mind...most hospitals bill double what they actually think they're going to get when insurance is involved....<hr></blockquote>



Its not quite as simple as that. I by no means am defending the outragious charges many facilities & practicioners charge, but I worked in the Purchasing department & Billing department of a hospital. Contrary to public belief there is regulations hospitals must go by when creating their reimbursement rates & amount for total charges. Do they like to intimidate people into paying without questioning things? Absolutely. Do they get away with things they shouldnt? Absolutely. Is it all for a Profit? No. Whether the facility be non for profit or a private hospital they still need to have vendors (that brings in the pharmaceutical companies) that sell the supplies needed for a patients care. Most hospital put out bids & then go into contract with the company for a certain amount of time. Others get quotes each & every time an order is needed. The same goes with insurance companies. Should they harrass the ones that are the sickest to pay a bill? No. Can they? Yes. Thats no difference than a credit card company given a better interest rate to those who can afford to pay things quickly as a reward for doing such. Is a credit card a choice versus health care? Yes. The point remains the same.
 
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tessa55454

New member
I have been staring at my computer like a zombie waiting for this page to open. The server or something must be running slow.

o.k. you know what, I would do everything what everyone has been saying on this sight, and then I would call them up, after you know the plan you are going to take. Then just tell them what you are willing to do. You could ask and see if they will bargain with you, then tell them what you are willing to do.

I had a situation years ago, one of the few I have had, and this collector called me up and started harassing me, and you know...she thretened to take me to court. NOw, I was 18 at the time, and it was actually the insurance companies fault, after doing in lengths to figure out what the heck was going on. The thing is, ok. the worst sceniro, she was going to try and get my few hundred dollars at that time? come on...

make a deal, and in my mind I would tell them to f' off. as long as you are attemping, they can't do a darn thing. It doesn't matter if it takes you ten years to pay it off, it doesn't matter. Go through other options and programs to see what can be done, then last option is to actually pay it out of your pocket.

sometimes I think what's worse the death situation with Cf or health insurance. My parents always feel aweful for the stuff i have to deal with. They know it, they dealt with it for the first 17-18 years. I remember my mom going into the pharmacy making a scene in some respects because some insurance issue came up and she basically felt like she had to hold up the pharmacy. She would come home crying and she would get my father and say, "you are coming with me to deal with these helleons!"

If you ever see a person that is short, with glasses and goes by the name Tessa that has CF on televisioin, it's because i finally held up the pharmacy and told them to hand over my drugs. I am joking of course, but in some ways there is some definite truth in there....

All i can say is good luck really, but I would like to hear how things got settled. Just pretend you are wearing war paint and boxing gloves. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

Tessa 27 w/cf
 
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JenniferNJ

New member
UGG I just posted a long response and then remembered I didn't log in and well when I logged in I lost my whole post... yeash

THank you so much for all your responses.. I really appreciate them so much..I feel better just reading them and feeling supported..

I live in NJ and I went to Momouth Medical Center which is two and half hours from my house. I called the billing department, they told me not to do anything till my insurance paid its amount, then they said they would send me a bill for what I owed. I asked them about negotiation and they said they would talk after I got my bill... I asked to speak to the social worker which at the moment they don't have an adult one, and so I asked to speak to the peds one... she was off today ....


I do qualify for disability as far as I can see from what you said Julie.. I am on Tobi every other month, and I have been hospitalized on IV antibiotics every three to four months for a few years.. My pfts are great though.. and I work part time and go to school full time.. My income is very, very low because I sometimes only work a few hours a month... I never wanted to take disability because I didn't feel disabled, and I being a dork didn't want to take money from someone that wasn't able to work at all....

My dr said he would write a letter of medical need for me to have been there, but I am not going back there so I don't know how it works.. I have heard that St VIncents is a good CF center but it is to far from home for me.. I need to be close to my friends and family...and I have lots of other medical conditions that need to be treated as well.. As it turns out they are going to have a CF center about 30 minutes from my house in about a year so I am going to try to see if they will see me before they are offically opened as a Cf center....

So for now I am going to wait for the revised bill to come, and then I am going to fight like heck to get it reduced..
Do you think I qualify for disabilty. I didn't know I could apply for it and still work... ???? or what other state aid options I had...??? Is medicaid for poor ppl because according to my income I am real poor? and is disabilty for ppl with money but not able to work??

I really am so warmed that so many ppl responded to help me...I woke up and checked posts and felt so good seeing.. ppl willing to do research for me or lend an ear to listen....

Thanks again,

Jennifer

I will keep you updated as things progress
 
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anonymous

New member
Jennifer, the disability $$ depends on how much you make and if you work full time? If you want to email me privately (hours and income) I can give you some guidance. division902@hotmail.com.

Julie (wife to Mark 24 w/CF)
 
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anonymous

New member
Jennifer- good luck with everything. I know it is hard not to stress about bills!
Melissa- I see Dr.Berdella, they are both really great! Have you gone there for a long time?-Carrie,33w/CF
 
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JazzysMom

New member
<blockquote>Quote<br><hr><i>Originally posted by: <b>Anonymous</b></i><br>Jennifer- good luck with everything. I know it is hard not to stress about bills!

Melissa- I see Dr.Berdella, they are both really great! Have you gone there for a long time?-Carrie,33w/CF<hr></blockquote>



To Carrie:
I have been with this group since my diagnosis 30 years ago. The doctors at that time were Dr. Carolyn Denning & Dr. Gerling who actually were at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital for the first year & then they moved to St. Vincents & I followed. Please email me & maybe we can chat. My email is rksmith98@verizon.net.
Regards,
Melissa
 
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