I was shocked to see the hospital bill for last September, why can they charge so much, when only a third of it is 'allowed'. They charge $20,000 and the insurance says they can only charge $6000. Lucky me! But what happens to the person without insurance?! Do they get stuck with the $20,000 bill? No wonder medical bills are the number one reason folks loss their homes and file for bankruptcy (I heard that statistic on the radio, I don't know if it is really true, but after seeing these bills... I might believe it is). This entire system seems broken! I don't have any answers, but it seems wrong that the amount charged and the amount allowed is SO drastically different.
I just got an E.O.B. for an M.R.I. that I had, and again, they charged over 3 times the 'allowed' amount. Do they just charge as much as they want, and hope it gets paid? I can't wait to see the next bill, I will be going in for Surgery again, and this time an overnight stay in the hospital is a sure thing... if out patient surgery brought a $20,000 bill (and that was just from the hospital, the surgeon and the anesthesiologist all bill separate). I can't wait to see what an overnight stay will cost. I might think twice when asked if I want ice chips... I wonder how much I paid for those last time?!
I guess that is why we have insurance... to help us through these times. Getting old sucks! That about sums it all up. I am SO IN NEED OF A VACATION! Luckily we are headed to Puerto Vallarta for a 7 day trip, then I return home to prep for surgery, but I can't think of that now, vacation is all I want to think of... I can not wait, in 10 short days I will be sitting on the beach... sand between my toes... ahhh... I can feel my blood pressure going down just thinking about it :)
Good night all, I wish you happy healthy thoughts! Here is hoping you don't have to stress about medical bills.
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