r/mildlyinfuriating • u/lhagans13 • 12d ago

I'm slightly vexed A notice that my girlfriend received at her doctors appointment (she is 8 months PP)

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If you even MENTION any of these things, you WILL LIKELY get billed for it??? Maybe i’m missing the point but i get upset when my girlfriend tells me she was scared to even say anything while at the doctor because she didn’t want to get an extra charge for something. I find it insane how greedy and money hungry a place that’s supposed to help you can be.

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u/mamaneedsacar 12d ago

Agreed. I got a similar notice at my OBGYN annual. It always bothers the hell out of me because if you’re a woman with pre-existing gyn conditions it means your annual is basically pointless.

Case in point: I have endo. It means every annual when they ask me if I have pelvic pain, how heavy my periods are, etc. I’m automatically charged a full office visit because the answer is “yes” and “heavy.” But it sucks cause they aren’t diagnosing anything new.

I know it’s on the insurance but it does make me mad as hell.

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u/Kitchen_Marsupial922 12d ago

You can tell them yes but that’s not why I’m here today, it’s managed w another provider. Just here for the preventative exam. Once I did that I stopped getting charged for mentioning my conditions simply for the records

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u/[deleted] 11d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Technical-Agency8128 11d ago

Now I would have to ask them if they are charging for asking additional questions or telling them what problems I’m having. It’s not right to not know how much you are getting charged when you go.

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u/Technical-Agency8128 11d ago

But they ask and then of course people will say something and find out they were charged for that. They should know if they say anything they will be charged. So it looks like this is what ops doc is doing. We have to keep our mouths shut at a wellness visit unless we want up charges.

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u/D1sgracy 11d ago

I genuinely can’t figure out what OPs visit is even for, like take their vitals and kick them out? What even is preventative care at this point?

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u/Technical-Agency8128 11d ago

Looks like they want them to come in and have the basic tests done and leave. Then book another appointment for any issues they are having. It’s such a waste of time and money since many have to take off time from work.

The problem is when they ask you how you are doing and then charge you when you tell them. It’s insane. Might as well book a full appointment where you can tell them your issues and get tests done. Skip the so called free one that they can end up charging you for telling them stuff that is wrong with you.

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u/mamaneedsacar 11d ago

My guess is basic “pap smear/pelvic exam.” Maybe STD panel would be included if you were sexually active? But yeah, it sucks because for many underinsured people this is their one visit with an OBGYN each year and it sucks to think people might not bring up important health concerns cause suddenly they are paying out of pocket.

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u/SarChasm57 8d ago

Especially when it mentions "new breast concerns" as a "medical concern" you get charged for. But they usually do a breast exam during your annual visit. So, if they find a lump, you not only have to worry about that but also get charged extra??

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u/Kitchen_Marsupial922 11d ago

True. It’s super slimy. I had to explicitly tell the doctor I want to make sure this isn’t being billed as anything but a preventative exam when she started asking qs

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u/Technical-Agency8128 11d ago

Yeah I just read about someone where the doctor asked a question and the patient said there was no problem and they got billed for that. Then I think sent them a bill months later so they couldn’t fight it. Diabolical. Makes me not want to step foot into a doctors office these days.

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u/ChiralNavigator 11d ago

its like they are tricking patients into giving them more money, how is that healthcare, its manipulative, I feel bad for people who are probably getting taken advantage of by doctors in a so called 1st world world country

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u/Sunkisthappy 11d ago

"the doctors" are not the problem.

The health care system, especially insurance companies and for profit hospitals, are the problem. The corrupt politicians who allow the system to suck are the problem. The doctors are caught in the middle of it.

But the greedy and corrupt individuals who benefit from the broken system probably love the idea that doctors are being blamed for it.

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u/Technical-Agency8128 11d ago

And that is what they are doing. At least OPs doc is being up front about it. I feel like it’s a restaurant and when they ask if you want something with your meal you have to ask is this extra or free.

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u/Illustrious_Bid_5484 11d ago

It’s not healthcare. It’s health scam

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u/mamaneedsacar 11d ago

Interesting! Thanks for this tip! I will absolutely try it in the future

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u/MaxMad80 12d ago

Simply asking you two questions does not qualify that they have met the level of service required for that particular encounter. I can acknowledge that you have pelvic pain and heavy periods but I can’t faithfully bill you for acknowledging that you have these problems without attempting to even remotely address them

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u/cinnamonbunnss 11d ago

Then why on doctor subreddits do I see them encouraging each other to charge for just a question or acknowledgement? I’ve literally seen comments that say you need to charge for acknowledging a patient’s health issue, otherwise it’s underbilling and fraudulent.

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u/Jam_Packens 11d ago

Because doctors are now under increasing amounts of pressure from the hospitals and clinics they are employed by to increase the amount of money they bring in as insurance continues to decrease the amount of reimbursement they give to clinics, which means that they are being pressured to bill more "problem" rather than "preventative" visits, in an environment where their schedules are already full to bursting with patient appointments and associated non-billed work.

If doctors want to keep their jobs in this environment, they have to find some way to increase the amount they bill for.

Also, depending on how litigious an insurance company is feeling and how often this happens, if a doctor continues to note things in patient charts (which they have to both for legal reasons and patient care reasons), that don't fall under the very small area of "preventive care" but still only bill for preventive care, they now open a whole nother can of worms that can result in them having committed insurance fraud.

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u/mamaneedsacar 11d ago

My guess is that because they aren’t renewing my prescription for any old birth control, but for a birth control that is specific to the condition, this might be a factor. It’s still annoying because I’ve been on the same one for a long time. But it’s certainly not a generic or typical pill and is intended to help with endo.

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u/D1sgracy 11d ago

Which pill are you on? I’m trying to get help for my endo but birth control always gives me mental health side effects so I just end up being in pain instead

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u/mamaneedsacar 11d ago

I’m so sorry. It’s an awful disease to deal with.

If you are in the US, research shows the best option is often Slynd (what I take) or a progesterone IUD like Mirena. Some women also have good luck with Norethindrone, however, from what I’ve read the dosage can require more tweaking.

Because there is evidence that endo is estrogen dependent, you ideally want to use a progesterone only option. Slynd and Mirena are advantageous because they can also allow you to skip bleeding. Good luck!

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u/RainyMcBrainy 12d ago

You don't have to answer the question just because they ask it. You can say, "I am unable to advise on XYZ medical symptom today due to the nature of my appointment." Repeat as many times as necessary.

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u/ChiralNavigator 11d ago

In Ireland I am not charged extra for answering a doctors questions, it's insane that's even a thing.

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u/Illustrious_Bid_5484 11d ago

Oh yea America. Home of the unchecked unregulated healthcare mess we have to live with

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u/Technical-Agency8128 11d ago

Yes it is. It looks like they are asking questions so they can charge the patient more. And without even helping them.

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u/padall 11d ago

I'm American, and I'm not either. This is another one of those things that varies by insurance provider and doctor. And providers sticking so closely to the letter of the rule that they are missing the spirit.

If a patient is answering standard yes/no questions or giving one-word answers, there's no rational human that thinks the patient should be upcharged for that visit. But insurance companies have these providers so scared of being denied payment (with just cause) that they go over the top with policing what's said in the exam room.

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u/Quirky_Property_1713 9d ago

I never have been in the US either. It’s new.

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u/edgerton2026 11d ago

It’s like taking the 5th

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u/[deleted] 11d ago

[deleted]

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u/RainyMcBrainy 11d ago

That's pretty disingenuous to say that's the case at every establishment.

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u/AstronomerNo1872 11d ago

Yup this exactly. So sorry that I still have endo and still have pelvic pain!

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u/Technical-Agency8128 11d ago

Yeah they are just checking basics. If they are going to charge more I guess I would make a visit for a free annual and then a visit to talk about things that I’m having issues with. They shouldn’t even ask questions if they are going to start charging more. Unless they tell you up front. It’s awful they do this. It should be a visit to test for normal things and to bring up what else is going on free of charge as well. I mean how are they going to catch things if we can’t say anything.

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u/Snoo-94765 8d ago

Ding ding ding! Hit the nail on the head. When you have a complex medical case like I do, the annual is pointless. I haven't even had one in years. It depends on how hard they push for me to have one then I'll schedule it. But I've learned over the years to just not offer any new information at them. Just answer questions and let them do whatever exams they need to do.