Learn me : Hospital ER Bills

A few months ago I had a fishing hook get stuck in my finger. We tried and we tried but we couldn't remove it. I also couldn't remember the last time I had a tetanus shot so I decided its probably best just to go to the ER and get this taken care of. While I was there I got a tetanus shot, they numbed my finger and the doc snipped it out. Relatively fast/pleasant process.

Fast forward 3 months and I just got the bill in the mail $779 for a 30 minute process (including waiting). This blows! Is there anything I can do? The bill isn't itemized, it just says pay this amount. Check with my insurance?

Definitely check with your insurance.

When I had my tonsilectomy I had an itemized bill sent to me and the insurance company. My gurney that I occupied for 10 minutes from prep to op was $171. Post-op I had those little foam lollipops used to wet my lips.... at $6.70 each.

What they bill and what they get are massively different. They end up negotiating with the insurance company and taking MUCH less.

The bill I got for my Tonsilectomy was almost $15,000, but I wouldn't be surprised if the hospital got something like $4000.

Well let me say you're lucky you walked out of the ER with a bill under $1000.

But yeah, what Curtis said. Check with your insurance. It sounds like it never went through the insurance first or something was wrong with the coding.

I've had so many issues with the hospitals and bills, that it makes me not want to ever step into a hospital ever again.

Glad you were OK and got out of there for under a grand. My only visit to the ER was thousands of dollars more than that.

In reply to EastCoastMojo:

Yeah, usually when I have to take my wife in on occasion, it ends up being in the $3000 range.

If you have insurance, definitely forward it to them. I have to ask, though..where did you go without being asked about insurance when you walked in the door?

Not flaming you, dude..I'm honestly curious. Two months ago, I was bitten by a cat. It got infected, and it wasn't until one of the medical folks saw the striations running up my arm that they told "HOW YOU GONNA PAY FOR THIS?!?!" girl to shut up and let me through.

I'll admit my situation was my own fault, I tried to clean out the bite myself, didn't realize doing so didn't work until the morning after, and then I tried to get the cheap clinics to treat it before just going to ER.

I had been to the ER twice before for other stuff, but I still had insurance then. Just showed my card, and walked right in. Less than $300 each time.

My bill for this last one (the cat bite) is right around what they're asking you to pay.

EDIT: Treatment included a big bag of IV antibiotics, and a week's supply of two different antibiotic pills that I had to take after being released.

In reply to EastCoastMojo:

ECM, wasn't that from the wreck?

Yes.

Dude, what did you do to that cat?

EastCoastMojo wrote: Yes. Dude, what did you do to that cat?

Stray, back when half of the houses on the street were still for sale. It picked a fight with our kitten on the front stoop, I thought bitty-cat would be dead by the time I ran back inside the house & filled something with water to break it up. Separated them by hand, the stray caught me in my palm when I tried to pick it up and throw it down the stairs.

How's the recovery, BTW? Are you healing up quickly?

Don't freak out but that is probably just the bill for the er. You will get the doctors bill soon.

friedgreencorrado wrote:

EastCoastMojo wrote: Yes. Dude, what did you do to that cat?

Stray, back when half of the houses on the street were still for sale. It picked a fight with our kitten on the front stoop, I thought bitty-cat would be dead by the time I ran back inside the house & filled something with water to break it up. Separated them by hand, the stray caught me in my palm when I tried to pick it up and throw it down the stairs. How's the recovery, BTW? Are you healing up quickly?

Hopefully bitty-cat came through without too much suffering. It sucks breaking up a cat-fight, no matter if they are all yours or not.

I have two surgeries behind me, the ankle and the right hip. I may have more surgery ahead, we will find out more in a few weeks when we get another MRI done. I may need surgery to my other hip and one knee, fingers crossed that I won't. I am very stiff and sore most days, but I am on the right side of the grass. Peace out.

EastCoastMojo wrote: . I am very stiff and sore most days, but I am on the right side of the grass. Peace out.

Good to hear. Man, I hope nobody ever hits me like you were hit. I ache for you, just thinking about it.

Oh, and bitty-cat frolics topside as well. She ain't so "bitty" these days, I'm hoping she can protect herself next time..

My insurance gets me a $300 emergency room visit.

They will also cover an Urgent Care visit for a bit less.

friedgreencorrado wrote: If you have insurance, definitely forward it to them. I have to ask, though..where did you go without being asked about insurance when you walked in the door?

Whaddya mean? It was 11pm at night and I had a hook stuck in my finger for 3 hours. We just went to the closest ER with the shortest wait time. They took all my insurance information while I was there.

FWIW, I got a bill from the hospital for a procedure after I knew insurance had covered it. It took a few days of calls to find this out, but the Hospital has the right to "ask" for the difference between what it billed and what the insurance company paid. If you want to, you can be nice and pay them the difference. You don't have to, once the insurance company pays it is considered settled. This is never explained anywhere in the bill of course, it just looks like you owe the hospital money.

mguar wrote: In reply to Keven: The simple fact is you aren't paying your own bill.. You're paying for those without insurance as well. Hospitals are required to treat everyone. They don't get paid for those who can't afford it so they pass those costs on to private payers. Without a voice the private person has no leverage. The rest of the world has found the way to control costs is to have the government pay all medical bills except those who choose to pay for private care.. (which isn't covered by insurance) Medical costs in the rest of the world is a tiny fraction of what they are here in America and yet while we pay the most we don't have the best care.. Not by a long shot.. last I heard we were about 20th in most healthcare areas.

Way to flounder the thread.

In reply to mtn:

Definitely check with your insurance whether the claim has been submitted/processed. Also take a look at where you are with out of pocket expenses - deductibles, co-insurance... You may be getting a couple more bills soon .The ER bill is for the facility, nurses and supplies. The physician may have their own bill for their part of the service. If there was lab work or imaging, that could also be a separate bill, or part of the ER service - kinda depends on how things are set up financially. Don't mean to scare you, just a realistic view.

If you don't have insurance or didn't meet the deductible yet... call the billing office and tell them you are having trouble. I got 30% taken right off the top of a big bill just for asking as long as I paid on the spot.

Ask for an itemized bill, for sure. Your insurance won't neccesarily be able to give you one (guess who's fighting mayo right now over similar crap) but the hospital should be able to. Then you get the fun task of going line by line and deciphering what all the coding means. I'd be able to help you with that part, it's sort of what I do for a living. That will tell you whether or not there was superfluous charges on there or not. AFAIK, that is pretty typical price-wise over an ER visit though.

Keven wrote: Fast forward 3 months and I just got the bill in the mail $779 for a 30 minute process (including waiting). This blows! Is there anything I can do? The bill isn't itemized, it just says pay this amount. Check with my insurance?

Only thing I have to add is: You got in and out of the ER in less than 30 minutes including waiting, for an imbedded fish hook? That's pretty impressive.

bastomatic wrote:

Keven wrote: Fast forward 3 months and I just got the bill in the mail $779 for a 30 minute process (including waiting). This blows! Is there anything I can do? The bill isn't itemized, it just says pay this amount. Check with my insurance?

Only thing I have to add is: You got in and out of the ER in less than 30 minutes including waiting, for an imbedded fish hook? That's pretty impressive.

No E36 M3. That would have been at least 2hrs in the ER I used to work in. I remember waiting 1hr for a simple tetanus booster after stepping on a rusty carpet staple. That will was 1k for a freaking PA to look and say OK, maybe 10 minutes at the most.

Why didn't you cut the barb off and pull it through?

Keven wrote:

friedgreencorrado wrote: If you have insurance, definitely forward it to them. I have to ask, though..where did you go without being asked about insurance when you walked in the door?

Whaddya mean? It was 11pm at night and I had a hook stuck in my finger for 3 hours. We just went to the closest ER with the shortest wait time. They took all my insurance information while I was there.

In that case, listen to Pinchvalve. Something strange is going on.

Ranger50 wrote: No E36 M3. That would have been at least 2hrs in the ER I used to work in. I remember waiting 1hr for a simple tetanus booster after stepping on a rusty carpet staple. That will was 1k for a freaking PA to look and say OK, maybe 10 minutes at the most. Why didn't you cut the barb off and pull it through?

The hook was in there so deep you really couldn't move it all that much. Plus, I knew I needed a tetanus shot so one way or the other I would have had to go to an ER or urgent care. I figured just let them handle it.

It was impressive how stuck it was in there. We had it soaking in hot water for a solid hour trying to loosen up the skin and then yanking on it with needle nose plies. It would not budge!

Update: I just found out my mom had received a bill at their house (I'm still on their insurance) for $461 and my she already paid for it. I wish she didn't so I could figure out exactly whats going on first. Oh well, looks like i'm out $461 which is better than $779

the last time i was in the ER, i got billed $75 for a wrist brace and a $25 "application fee".. that wrist brace was junk- i saw the exact same one at the K Mart pharmacy for $9- and i replaced it with a better one that i could actually use at work for $12.. i called the hospital billing office and asked them what was up with that- they took off the charge for the brace, but still wanted to charge me the "application" fee.. i asked what that fee was all about and she said it was the fee they charge for the doctor to show me how to put it on.. i explained that the doctor never even told me to wear a brace- he just left and the nurse came back in a few minutes later with the brace and watched me put it on.. they dropped that charge, too..

i hate hospitals and everything that is associated with them.