OSUGT Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 Anyone ever done this? Anything work best for you while speaking to the hospital? My wife and I just had a baby, but it just blows my mind what they get away with charging. It cost more just to stay in the hospital for two days than the actual delivery! Unreal. We have good insurance, but the out of pocket is still pretty high. I was just wondering if there is a good "word track" to use when calling these people. Maybe something like a "cash discount"? I want to work an angle so it doesn't affect my credit score as well. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug1647545489 Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 Go through the bill carefully. There's always BS shit in there. My buddy was charged 100 bucks for a box of nitrile gloves. They only used two pair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate1647545505 Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 When my father had extensive hospitalization for leukemia, my brother, mom and I worked alot with the hospital manager. I don't want to say they are like used car salesmen, but they are usually willing to find a set of conditions both parties can agree to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSUGT Posted August 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 Go through the bill carefully. There's always BS shit in there. My buddy was charged 100 bucks for a box of nitrile gloves. They only used two pair. no doubt...i've also heard horror stories about 20 dollars per aspirin. I'm starting to understand just how broken the system is. If a hospital can charge the insurance company anything they want, no wonder costs and premiums continue to rise. Our son had to spend a couple days in the NICU. Nothing major, but he needed some extra care. The primary dr saw him every day. He was released on a Friday. The primary pediatrician was off and another doctor came in before they discharged him. She looked at him for all of 5 mins and said, "Yep, he's fine" We got the bill for that and it was 400 bucks. I really can see how one serious illness or injury can cause financial catastrophe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedro1647545510 Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 I had some second degree burns across my chest and arm last year that caused me to go to the hospital. My mouth dropped when I got the bill for that and then again after my surgery. I paid 45 bucks a piece for vicodin, 300 bucks for a doc to say "yep, those are second degree burns, 53 bucks for a tube of burn cream, etc. I think the prices are so high because they expect some people not to pay. My co-worker said he was able to negotiate a cash price when his wife was hospitalized. I think he said he saved like at least a couple thousand bucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceGhost Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 Talk to them, tell them what you can afford, as long as you pay them something each month they can't send anything to a credit agency. This is not a loan. I have heard of people paying $5 a month for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate1647545505 Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 Talk to them, tell them what you can afford, as long as you pay them something each month they can't send anything to a credit agency. This is not a loan. I have heard of people paying $5 a month for a long time. This is pretty much what we had to do after recieving the 200K bill for the bone marrow transplant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug1647545489 Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 We also had a guy at work that had major surgery. He had three separate issues, but they were able to do it all at once. They billed him as having three separate surguries. There's even a name for the tactic. It's called unbundling I guess. The insurance company seen it and had them "correct" the paperwork. Saved him a ton of money. Something like 7 grand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug1647545489 Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 This is pretty much what we had to do after recieving the 200K bill for the bone marrow transplant What the hell else can you do? Get a mortgage to pay it off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirks5oh Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 be thankful you have insurance, pay the bill, and enjoy the new addition to your family. negotiating pricing is what people who don't have insurance do. funny, we even provide the exact same service to people who have absolutely no means of paying for it-- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirks5oh Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 We also had a guy at work that had major surgery. He had three separate issues, but they were able to do it all at once. They billed him as having three separate surguries. There's even a name for the tactic. It's called unbundling I guess. The insurance company seen it and had them "correct" the paperwork. Saved him a ton of money. Something like 7 grand. unbundling is illegal for most procedures. so if i replace both knees in a patient, i get paid 100% for the first, and 50% for the second-- sure, the hospital stay might not be as much, but i'm not getting paid correctly. imagine going to someone's house---fixing their sink, the toilet, and the bathtub---you receive 100% payment for the sink, 50% for the toilet, and 50% for the bathtub---seems fair, right?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug1647545489 Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 Yeah, but they were charging him like they put him under and opened and closed him three times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSUGT Posted August 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 be thankful you have insurance, pay the bill, and enjoy the new addition to your family. negotiating pricing is what people who don't have insurance do. funny, we even provide the exact same service to people who have absolutely no means of paying for it-- Felt this way until my insurance got billed 7000 dollars for a 2 night hospital stay. Did I miss something or did we stay the the Waldorf Astoria? Funny how you still provide services to the uninsured. I wonder who pays for that? I'm all for paying what "I" owe. Seems like I'm getting dinged for everyone else as well. If you don't ask, you don't get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceGhost Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 I think my bed was $3k a day in 2007, I was there for a week at Riverside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSUGT Posted August 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 I think my bed was $3k a day in 2007, I was there for a week. Amazing...did you even get a steak dinner out of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceGhost Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 I got 3 squares a day. I was well taken care of. All I cared about at the time was my Dilaudid at Bedtime. God that stuff was great in an IV. My nurses were pretty good lookin' too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJINOHIO03 Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 Well if you at least pay something on the bill every month they cant report it on your credit. I think Ohio passed a law a little bit ago so people wont get report have to get itemized bills etc check into that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99FLHRCI Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 unbundling is illegal for most procedures. so if i replace both knees in a patient, i get paid 100% for the first, and 50% for the second-- sure, the hospital stay might not be as much, but i'm not getting paid correctly. imagine going to someone's house---fixing their sink, the toilet, and the bathtub---you receive 100% payment for the sink, 50% for the toilet, and 50% for the bathtub---seems fair, right?? It works the same on cars. Might get 1.0 hrs for one side for a brake job and 1.3 hrs for both. Never made sense but that is the way it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate1647545505 Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 be thankful you have insurance, pay the bill, and enjoy the new addition to your family. negotiating pricing is what people who don't have insurance do. funny, we even provide the exact same service to people who have absolutely no means of paying for it-- We had full health insurance (as a family) and my father's VA benefits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug1647545489 Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 (edited) It works the same on cars. Might get 1.0 hrs for one side for a brake job and 1.3 hrs for both. Never made sense but that is the way it works. But you get both done in .8 hours and move on. Works the same for most things. Buy one valve spring it's 20 bucks. By a set of 16 it's 250 bucks. They all cost the same to make. We may charge $25k for the initial testing. $10k after that. Once the engine is instrumented and mounted, further testing is not as costly. Edited August 23, 2010 by Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRocket1647545505 Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 Remember, you're paying to help cover all the worthless welfare fucks who stick the hospital with the bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotCarl Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 I have heard of people getting steep discounts from hospitals and doctors if they can pay cash and or pay the full amount up front, I think it was upward of 40% off. Obviously most people cant afford somthing like that but if you can you can get a big discount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceGhost Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 I know of an Amish girl that was in a Coshocton (SP) area Hospital with sepsis. (Blood infection) she was Life Flighted to Columbus, treated and lived. Her bills had to be more than mine, She never paid a dime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy1647545504 Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 When I had appendicitis last spring, the hospital billed the insurance company $26k. My health insurance company negotiated that down to like $12k, and my 20% was about $2300. My wife and I happened to be in position to pay the full amount we owed in one lump, but she asked if there was a paid in full, cash discount. There was, and the hospital knocked gave us a 10+% discount for paying the bill in full, and made the bill $2000 flat. Now if I could just get a hold of the anesthesiologist... That dude bills separately from the hospital. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirks5oh Posted August 23, 2010 Report Share Posted August 23, 2010 Now if I could just get a hold of the anesthesiologist... That dude bills separately from the hospital. many are not hospital employees, hence the separate bill. the same thing goes for most surgeons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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