Getting sued at Christmas..

[indimom]

just wanted to mention also that people live in different types of communities. Up until about four years ago, our town did not have an urgent care center. If you cut yourself on the weekend and thought it might need stitches, you went to the E.R. I've had three occasions when I went to the ER for minor accidents, because I was not medically qualified to "know" if this might need treatment or not. Once DS got stitches, once nephew didn't; and once (when DD broke her nose), they just confirmed by X-Ray that the brake was straight and caused no internal damage and sent us home.
When our town got an urgent care facility, we used them a couple times, and it worked out fine, until our insurance company realized they were jacking up their rates to astronomical proportions. They were onsiderably higher than what the local ER charged for the same thing (like taking a strep test). Insurance has taken this location off of our plan and we now go to the ER if we have a minor medical need again.

 

[kaytieeldr]

There has GOT to be a less expensive place within, if not your town limits, at least driving distance. What about a Minute Clinic, or whatever Walgreens' version is?

 

[ksumn1]

I just don't get why people go to the ER for non emergent problems and then are shocked at the bills.
I work in an ER. I pay for insurance and still avoid the ER like the plague. Why in the WORLD would anyone go to the ER for a cut finger that didn't need stiches?

For one reason. You didn't plan on paying the bill and you'd have to pay prior to leaving a doctors office or Urgent Care center.

I'm sorry that you don't get much sympathy from me. But, I work all the time to pay my own bills, insurance and taxes so that I can have my wealth "redistributed" for me to people who make bad decisons.

Until 3 months ago, our insurance copay for ER AND Urgent Care facilities was $300. I hurt my knee (ongoing issues) on a Saturday afternoon and was in such horrible pain that I was worried I had done major damage to it. I needed to go have it looked at. Knowing my copay and that the ER was 20 minutes away, and the Urgent Care facility was an hour away, I chose the ER. Especially after calling and being told that the average wait in the ER was 2 hours and 4 in the urgent care facility.

But I also went one time for a cut finger that didn't require stitches to the ER. Course it bled for over an hour and wouldn't stop, but because I hurt it at work I could either go to the ER OR drive to the closest dr that took our workers comps claims, which was over 75 miles away. In my case, the hospital agrred to let me pay half the copay since I explained the situation. Eventually, my employer paid the bill, AFTER it went to collections

I do agree that many times people go to the ER when they shouldn't. Any time you have a virus, minor injury, fever etc in an otherwise healthy person, either wait and get worked in at the drs office the next day or go to an urgent care facility, not the ER.

 

[MS_mom_1965]

Well to make a long story short I had a bill at the hospital no insurance and I guess I just figured they would write it off. Not so I got a summons to be in court Jan 21. I called and asked them to verify the charges as I didn't sign anything when I was there and of course they said fax us a copy of your drivers license to verify signature.. Uh No way but any advice would be great they are charging me aprox $5000.00 for a visit to bandage a finger (no stitches $500 aprox) and the other is for a kidney stone they pumped me full of meds did some x-rays and sent me on my way $4500.00 for that one yes I know I should have health insurance but I have not had steady employment for 3 years, and I have some money coming in at the end of January if I can get them to settle for a lower amount. Any help would be great. Please don't blast me I already feel bad enough No I am not going to file bankruptcy on $5k I do not want a judgement on my credit report although it would be paid off in a few short months if they don't settle with me first.


Thanks And Merry Christmas!

Even with insurance I've ended up with some hefty hospital bills. Based on my experience, you should call the business office and set up monthly payments. Even $50 a month or so should keep them off your back.

 

[Planogirl]

I am not defending the OP at all.

But I refused to pay the fees for a surgeon who cut an artery in my neck and sent me back to my room drenched in blood. It was Easter Sunday, and he kept telling the nurses to put a sandbag on it. This one nurse literally held her hand to stop the bleeding for hours.

The doctor finally quit answering his pages so the hospital was able to contact another doctor who came in and did emergency surgery in my room.

I unconditionally refused to pay the surgeon who almost killed me.

That is a completely different situation and completely unacceptable! Wow, this bozo actually tried to bill you?

 

[Jachred]

Well to make a long story short I had a bill at the hospital no insurance and I guess I just figured they would write it off. Not so I got a summons to be in court Jan 21. I called and asked them to verify the charges as I didn't sign anything when I was there and of course they said fax us a copy of your drivers license to verify signature.. Uh No way but any advice would be great they are charging me aprox $5000.00 for a visit to bandage a finger (no stitches $500 aprox) and the other is for a kidney stone they pumped me full of meds did some x-rays and sent me on my way $4500.00 for that one yes I know I should have health insurance but I have not had steady employment for 3 years, and I have some money coming in at the end of January if I can get them to settle for a lower amount. Any help would be great. Please don't blast me I already feel bad enough No I am not going to file bankruptcy on $5k I do not want a judgement on my credit report although it would be paid off in a few short months if they don't settle with me first.


Thanks And Merry Christmas!

I know you might not think they gave you a discount, but I stayed in the hospital for a good 6-7 hours, thinking I had a kidney stone. They couldn't find one, but did all the tests.. I did not have my insurance information available (2 weeks after starting coverage yeah!), but had I not had insurance it would have been in the 10-15k range. (cant remember the exact amount).

I have had accounts go into collections in the past, call the law firm suing you. Tell them you have little money to work with. Be VERY nice to them when calling. Record who you talked to, what time, terms of settlement or repayment, EVEN if they refuse. IF you do nothing, I am willing to bet the judge will give them court costs and lawyer fee's. (I avoid court). Bad things happen to good people and everyone understands, but you have to pay SOMETHING.

But sadly letting your bills go and negotiating them down when they are this far past due is a good strategy.

Just a FYI, you can get great insurance @ around $112/month, just Google for health insurance.

 

[indimom]

Nope, not exagerating at all...

Here are my evening and weekend medical options where I live:

1. Local ER (less than one mile from home).
2. The Urgent Care which is no longer covered by insurance due to their prices (about three miles from home).
2. ER at next nearest hospital (town 25 minutes away). There is a Walgreens in this town, but it does not have a minute clinic (?). Do those places (located in drug stores?) do stitches and take x-rays?? I assumed they were just covered by a nurse or similar and did not treat more serious injuries??
3. Another ER at a town in the opposite direction (35 minutes away). There is no Walgreens or similar there.
4. The next closest location would be Cincinnati, Ohio (about an hour away). Out of state and out of network as well.

Not everyone lives in or near a city. I'm pretty sure that folks living in sparcely populated areas out west have even fewer options that this. I consider us pretty well covered for our location.

To OP, didn't mean to hijack the thread, just wanted to back up the possibility that going to the ER for a cut or other injury wasn't ridiculous in some instances.

 

[tammymacb]

Nope, not exagerating at all...

Here are my evening and weekend medical options where I live:

1. Local ER (less than one mile from home).
2. The Urgent Care which is no longer covered by insurance due to their prices (about three miles from home).
2. ER at next nearest hospital (town 25 minutes away). There is a Walgreens in this town, but it does not have a minute clinic (?). Do those places (located in drug stores?) do stitches and take x-rays?? I assumed they were just covered by a nurse or similar and did not treat more serious injuries??
3. Another ER at a town in the opposite direction (35 minutes away). There is no Walgreens or similar there.
4. The next closest location would be Cincinnati, Ohio (about an hour away). Out of state and out of network as well.
Not everyone lives in or near a city. I'm pretty sure that folks living in sparcely populated areas out west have even fewer options that this. I consider us pretty well covered for our location.

To OP, didn't mean to hijack the thread, just wanted to back up the possibility that going to the ER for a cut or other injury wasn't ridiculous in some instances.

I don't live in a city either. As a matter of fact, I drive 40 minutes each way to the ER that I work in. But, it still stands that a "cut on my finger" did not need to go to the ER regardless. Do you really think you're going to bleed to death from it? Unless you can see bones or it's hanging off, you're going to be fine. It didn't even require stitches...

 

[allison443]

I don't live in a city either. As a matter of fact, I drive 40 minutes each way to the ER that I work in. But, it still stands that a "cut on my finger" did not need to go to the ER regardless. Do you really think you're going to bleed to death from it? Unless you can see bones or it's hanging off, you're going to be fine. It didn't even require stitches...

I think it's pretty clear that the OP went to the ER because they didn't have insurance and didn't plan to pay that day. I believe the minute clinics, doctors offices, even most urgent care facilities, expect payment or insurance coverage when treatment is rendered. This is not limited to OP of course. Many uninsured go to the ER for things like colds, ear infections, etc. due to having no insurance.

 

[indimom]

( Just to be clear, I'm not stating my opinion one way or another on whether I "believe" the OP)

My only point was that not everyone KNOWS whether a cut needs stitches. When I took my son, I figured I was being paranoid and they'd laugh me out the door. But no, he got stitches (well, staples, actually). When I went with Sis and her son, we were both convinced stitches were unavoidable and he ended up getting no treatment at all.
Not everyone works in an ER and sees these types of boo boos every day. So we might need the reassurance of a doctor that it's going to heal fine.

Also, my comment on distance was not aimed at you, but at PP who stated they did not believe I didn't have another option within driving distance. (And what constitues "within driving distance" with a screaming, bleeding toddler in the car?)

 

[Blue.Fairy2]

Just a FYI, you can get great insurance @ around $112/month, just Google for health insurance.

I have some swamp land in Florida if you are interested.....

 

[Stacerita]

I am finding it hard to believe that it was a "billing error". Those charges in the original post looked about right. Even without seeing an itemized bill. ER trips are expensive.

 

[Jachred]

I have some swamp land in Florida if you are interested.....

you right, i just re-quoted it, $136/mo $40 office visits and 40% co-insurance. You could go with the deductible planes for $3000 deductible then you pay $0 for 100/month. Still better than having to pay $5k outta pocket. Thats with Aetna,

$200/month, fixed costs on everything through HAP. ($250 ER visit, $100 urgent care, $25 dr. visits 2x a year)


I dunno.. Where you have swampland.. (sorry to de-rail the topic)

 

[CowboyCO]

I have some swamp land in Florida if you are interested.....

I pay $80 a month to insure my two sons (10&8) w/ $30 copays and $15/40 prescription coverage. You just have to shop and compare. If you want to have insurance that will cover nearly every dollar, you will pay a lot, but assume a little risk on the front end of major medical (which is unlikely) and then save the diifference. It would cost $300/month to put them on my insurance, so I put $220 a month into a savings account for a year and know I have the $3,000 deductible covered and the money is still in MY account.

Insurance never used to cover all the stuff people want covered now. Health care, just like car maintenance isn't free and shouldn't be. My brother spent 7 years in school to become a doctor (plus his internship), spent over $250,000 on his education and now the Guv'ment wants to tell him how much he can charge for his services.

 

[njcarita]

I pay $80 a month to insure my two sons (10&8) w/ $30 copays and $15/40 prescription coverage. You just have to shop and compare. If you want to have insurance that will cover nearly every dollar, you will pay a lot, but assume a little risk on the front end of major medical (which is unlikely) and then save the diifference. It would cost $300/month to put them on my insurance, so I put $220 a month into a savings account for a year and know I have the $3,000 deductible covered and the money is still in MY account.

Insurance never used to cover all the stuff people want covered now. Health care, just like car maintenance isn't free and shouldn't be. My brother spent 7 years in school to become a doctor (plus his internship), spent over $250,000 on his education and now the Guv'ment wants to tell him how much he can charge for his services.

it depends where you live.... In jersey I have 30 co pays ............absolutley NO prescription coverage .......and 3000 deductible on hosptial stays.... and I pay 780 a month going up to 990 in feb.......

 

[wdwfan16]

it depends where you live.... In jersey I have 30 deductibles ............absolutley NO prescription coverage .......and 3000 deductible on hosptial stays.... and I pay 780 a month going up to 990 in feb.......

Age of the person(s) being insured also plays a part in the cost.