Taking Pains to Take Care, Both Now and Then

[groovedaddy]

Now that our hospital’s electronic medical record keeps reasonably good track of patients’ blood test and X-ray results, we no longer routinely file the paper copies. And now that I routinely offer these copies to patients, I have learned that the world is divided when it comes to medical self-knowledge.

Half my acquaintances wince and recoil from the papers as if I had offered them a ticking bomb. The other half light up — suddenly it’s Christmas! — and delightedly snatch the sheaf out of my hand. Then they show up at the next visit with the pages underlined and a list of questions.

Presumably, then, half the reading public will scuttle past Thomas Goetz’s new book, “The Decision Tree,” with averted eyes. The others (and you know who you are) will be irresistibly drawn to this new variation on the old genre of self-help health.

Mr. Goetz’s book is brought to us by Rodale, the publishing conglomerate behind Prevention magazine and its not-so-subliminal message that most of the flesh’s ills can be averted with diet, exercise and vigilant attention to the poisons lurking everywhere.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/health/25zuger.html?th&emc=th

[healthcarebnkrupt]

1. No insurance, surgery bills - request for guidance

I recently had to get heart surgery and I have no insurance.
My family has offered to pitch in to pay. The hospital bill is
outrageous.
They are charging 3 to 4 times more than what they would
charge if I had medicare.
I found this out by looking up the CPT codes in my bill online
on american medical assocn
web site and found that every single item is charged 3 to 4
times more.

We were forced to pre-pay an estimate before they would admit
me for surgery.
My family went through a lot of trouble to organize the money
in time by taking several loans.
Now we are getting the bills and are trying to figure out if
we could get some of the money
back because we feel we are being FLEECED.

When I approached the hospital  authorities to reason this
they are telling me that they have 
already discounted the charges for me and they can do nothing
more. They have told me explicitly that they are in the
business of making money and the few souls that sympathised
with me and tried to talk to their superiors got yelled at for
not looking out for the hospital.
This is a big and well known hospital.

Is there no regulation on HOW much a hospital can charge for a
service relative to medicare?????
How can chargin me 3 to 4  times (300 to 400%) more than a
typical bill be fair?

THANK YOU for ANY HELP. 

[groovedaddy]

2. Have you considered bankruptcy? I know many people don't like it but all to often

it is the only realistic option with these huge medical bills.

[healthcarebnkrupt]

3. Would like to pay what is fair and reasonable

We'd like to avoid bankruptcy since that brings with it a
whole host of other issues including making life after
miserable.
We want to pay what is fair and charging 3 to 4 times what
they charge an insured patient
does not appear fair to me.

I have tried to look up new York state laws but cannot find
any on the internet or in the library
to see if there are any government regulations against this
type of billing which appears
unethical to me. 

Every single CPT code on the bill is 3 to 4 times higher than
what AMA reports as the average cost for
that code on their website.

We are fine paying even 2 to 2.5 times as a punishment for
being unhealthy and not having insurance.
But 3 to 4 times seems grossly unfair. so any pointers to how
I can approach the hospital with the facts and laws if any to
make them see reason would be greatly appreciated.

THANK YOU.

[groovedaddy]

4. Sometimes, making them think you are willing to file for bankruptcy will get them to change their

tune. Some Attorneys will write a letter for you at a nominal fee that would say you are exploring your options and considering bankruptcy. That lets the hospital know you're serious and they may start to negotiate with you from the position of getting something is better than getting nothing.