Hospital bill reduction

[ROADWARRIOR]

I'll try to make this as short as possible. We had a son this spring and when we got the bill, I found out the hospital was In-Network, but the physicians weren't. When I did the pre-birth paperwork nobody mentioned that. They looked at my card and said they were a provider(this was at the hospital).



So I got a $4,000 doctor bill on top of my other hospital bills. After a few hours and several calls I found out that Hospital and Doctors were different entities. So anyways, since the doctors are out of network, my insurance didn't pay crap because $4k is less than my deductible.



I've heard from some co-workers that the physicians will reduce the bill if you offer them a deal. Is there any truth to this? Also, does $1,000 sound right for 30 minutes worth of work for a circumcision?



TIA,

Dan

 

[HOBrian]

I guess that you did not have the wifes OB to the delivery?? If she had planned on her OB doing the delivery and there was a covering doctor that covering doctor should take the Ins.



My wife and I just had twins in Oct. and the doctor that gave her the spinal was an OUT of network doctor, there is nothing that can you can do to get an IN network doctor for that. So I wrote the hospital a letter and informed them that since the hospital was in network that anyone that they had on staff at the time of the delivery would be considered in my eyes as in network. I had to make two or three phone calls as well but they did cover everything.

 

[bighammer]

I'll try to make this as short as possible... . (yada, yada, yada)... . circumcision?

I don't like the sound of that together. :-laf A grand might sound like a lot, but a daughter is much more costly later in life, so consider it a bargain.

Seriously, congrats on the son. I hope you can work this out. It sounds like they kind of screwed up in providing services that they knew weren't covered by insurance. I would guess they would agree on a percentage of the cost-- Better to get part than nothing.

Good luck with it.

 

[JoelMartin]

We are self pay and do not have any insurance and we have found the doctors to be very reasonable in cutting costs when it came to payments. One of our friends had their baby in the hospital for an eye infection and their bill was going to be about $2700. 00 and they gave them a 65% discount for being self pay... . so not bad.

 

[ROADWARRIOR]

I guess that you did not have the wifes OB to the delivery?? If she had planned on her OB doing the delivery and there was a covering doctor that covering doctor should take the Ins.



My wife and I just had twins in Oct. and the doctor that gave her the spinal was an OUT of network doctor, there is nothing that can you can do to get an IN network doctor for that. So I wrote the hospital a letter and informed them that since the hospital was in network that anyone that they had on staff at the time of the delivery would be considered in my eyes as in network. I had to make two or three phone calls as well but they did cover everything.

It was my wifes OB that did the delivery. We found out afterwards that none of the doctors at the hospital are In-Network for my old insurance provider. I switched to a different provider once I found that info out.



I never asked about the doctors being in-network because I wrongly assumed the doctors and hospital were one and the same. During the pre birth paper work I asked again that my insurance was good there and they said yes. In hind sight it was a hospital employee I was talking to and not a representative of the doctors. I feel like I was wronged since nobody told me that ahead of time, but I now realize I screwed up by not knowing or asking if the doctors were also in-network. Live and learn I guess. The part that really burns my cheeks about the whole deal though is that I paid $25 extra a week for this insurance because I thought it was a better deal. So now I'm out roughly $3200 and back with my old insurance.



Dan

 

[MN Cummins Lvr]

First of all, congrats on a new son! I have had some medical bills this past year, some insurance paid, some didn't. All I can say is, don't be afraid to negotiate! If you are able to pay cash, it's surprising what they can do Also, look at the fine print on the statements. With my clinic, in very very fine print, it says on the statement that a 5% discount may be applied for bills paid in full. I just automatically deducted, no issues so far.



Good Luck!



Paul

 

[Bill Stockard]

Yes, you can negotiate on your medical bills especially if you offer them a cash payment (check or credit card). My wife has her own medical insurance with a high deductible. Last year she had some medical expenses that went against her high deductible. After she received the bill, she got a good discount from the hospital for paying immediately with a credit card.



Bill