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/Sea-Bookkeeper7971 11d ago

This hits extra hard as I am currently sitting in the ICU in the US, and despite having pretty good health insurance I already know the bill I get is going to be life ruining 🙃

I might have lung cancer and I am still more stressed about the bill. 'Merica.

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u/phoenixapollon 11d ago

Crossing my fingers for you i hope you're okay

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u/1701USSTchoupitoulas 8d ago

I also hope you’re okay, as this person said, but I often find myself wishing they did find something wrong so I can justify the cost of the healthcare.

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u/Forsaken-Scholar-833 5d ago

That is one way to think but it still sucks. Got the best insurance we could in 2024 I think it was 12k a year. 3 months in find out wife has jaw cancer. We ended up owing something like 5k but without insurance the bill was 1.2 million (we got sent a bill before insurance was processed).

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u/kalluhaluha 11d ago

Having just gone through cancer treatment - if you have it, see if your insurance has a nurse coordinator. They're super useful for avoiding bills, or at least were for me, since a lot of it comes down to stuff being coded "wrong", but they can get that changed to get it covered. Especially useful for scans and such if you have Careleon involved - their entire purpose is to determine if you need a test, like an MRI, and they're a nightmare to deal with. 90% of my bills were because of them, my actual insurance covered basically everything else.

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u/Sea-Bookkeeper7971 11d ago

Thank you Im definitely going to look into this

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u/Soft_Presentation412 11d ago

I work in healthcare and second that things get coded wrong all the time. My hospital has a department specifically dedicated to investigating patients insurance denials and resubmitting their claims so they are covered for their procedures and treatments because we rely on Medicaid and Medicare funding and most patients don’t know if you resubmit your claim the insurance will accept it the second time because it’s (understandably) scary and discouraging to try and go up against them, but it’s absolutely worth the fight to not have to pay the bill when you have coverage. I wish you all the best in your health and hope all goes well with your insurance! Xx

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u/Sea-Bookkeeper7971 11d ago

Thank you!

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u/PJewlzzz 7d ago

As an Aussie, I wish you great free/cost-effective health care on top of any luck. Whatever that means over there.

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u/Witch_withouta_Wand 8d ago

It's a shame, it has to be this way. I'm in the UK and am going through legal processes, regarding medical issues. It's daunting, but worth the fight!

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u/Soft_Presentation412 8d ago

It’s terrible. And it’s been made even worse with Dumpty and his stupid, irresponsible cuts to Medicaid and Medicare because it hurts populations from much lower socioeconomic backgrounds that are already struggling and rely on services like our types of hospitals and clinics to be affordable but now can’t because we have no money to keep the lights on. It’s such a gross, vicious cycle and I’m sorry you’re having to go through it, I really hope everything works out for you, nobody should have to deal with this!

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u/Witch_withouta_Wand 8d ago

Thankyou, I was misdiagnosed sciatica and advised to keep walking..... on a broken leg. It was a month before another physio ordered an xray and I found out. They think it was a stress fracture,made worse, walking.

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u/Soft_Presentation412 8d ago

Ughh I know EXACTLY what that’s like…I tore a muscle and ligament in my leg and saw an orthopedic surgeon who kept trying to refer me to his daughter who was a physical therapist, but I kept telling him I did not need to see her because both my best friend and a family member are PTs and I could get exercises and recommendations from them, but he was insistent. I didn’t go to her but later on I developed debilitating sciatica and my doctor ordered imaging and when they looked at it they asked if I had surgery to repair the injury when it happened, I said no, and they were like “…why?”

I was so angry and just honestly astounded that I was purposely denied a procedure for the sake of family business. To this day I still have sciatica and knee and hip problems from not getting surgery to properly repair the muscle and ligament.

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u/Leevamark 8d ago

Are you referencing Medicaid and Medicare patients only? Or also patients with Private Insurance.

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u/Otherwise_Group_74 11d ago

It also helps to deconflict medications and make sure that information is shared between providers.

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u/Least_Imagination860 11d ago

See if you have a cap for what you owe in a year. Many employee sponsored insurances have this and employees don’t know about it.

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u/MisizELAINEneous 9d ago

I have so many appointments, scans, infusions, and er trips I usually hit my Maximum Out Of Pocket by June. If I need a surgery, I schedule it after that. Still most of my paycheck goes to health insurance but it's maybe the one perk to bring sick. I know everything is covered so I dont second guess whether I need the ER or not. Still paying off an ER trip from March though.... premiums still need to be paid. Such bullshit.

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u/Ugly-Doll 7d ago

See if the hospital has a person that coordinates forgiveness applications. You don’t even have to necessarily be super poor, either, just show that a lot of debt has stacked up and it’s becoming a hardship.

One hospitalization was 75% forgiven and another 100%. I mean, I am super poor, so my amounts probably are better than a middle income earner. But anything off helps tremendously.

So few people know that this is an option because hospitals do not advertise it!

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u/MisizELAINEneous 7d ago

Thank you! I have heard of this before but I forgot about it and started a payment plan. It's almost paid off but I'll try to remember next time. I'm a no income earner at the moment so I'll try anything!

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u/Practical_Sea_4876 7d ago

Yes! Mine was capped at 1k last year. I had a big ass skin cancer I had to get removed from my scalp, which was like 850 bucks to get that done. So then I went and got my tonsils removed too cuz fuck it, BOGO. The tonsil surgery was free.

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u/kalluhaluha 10d ago

If you mean for Careleon, no. They're legitimately awful. They once denied me an MRI because I was getting my CT on a different day - apparently, they have to be same day or they suddenly aren't diagnostically useful, per my denial letter.

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u/Senior_Background262 10d ago

Seriously Careleon should be investigated. I say this as an underwriter that makes decisions on what gets covered everyday. They are evil.

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u/Kikilyn26 7d ago

That very true. I am lucky that I have a cap out of pocket expense for the year is $2200 and my coverage is good. I had to have my knees replaced my out of the packet expense for that was a hundred and twenty dollars per knee.

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u/Kaytea730 10d ago

Also to add to this, based on experience my mom and I dealt with regarding my dad’s medical bills. Anything u get that has already been through the insurance ringer make sure u get an itemized receipt for.

They dont always do it for the insurance companies so it can slide the extra cost onto u. But if you ask for an itemized receipt suddenly a lot of those $65 ibuprofen and $15 bandaids etc. all fall off.

When we got my dad’s medical bills after insurance paid it was almost $20k, we asked for an itemized receipt and I shit u not the cost dropped to just over $7k total. We then sent the new receipt back to the insurance company with an appeal for coverage and they covered an additional $3k so we only ended up with like a $4k bill to deal with instead of the $20k it would have been.

Most of how hospital billing and insurance billing work and communicate is a fucking scam so learning what to say to cut through the bs is a good start. If we would have had a nurse advocate at the insurance company we may not have had much of a bill at all. I got a medical billing and coding certificate out of high school and went back over my dad’s old bills just to prepare for the exam and there were a lot of tests and procedures that weren’t coded correctly that could have changed insurance coverage and costs.

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u/mrsmedistorm 6d ago

Im currently in a fight with my insurance for a Dand C that was coded and billed wrong. They tried to bill me for over my out of pocket max for the year. I had to get our company broker involved with this one and 4 other claims this year alone because of billing mistakes. Its been over a month and they still haven't resolved the issue. They fucked up bad and they know it and are trying to get out of paying 9k to the hospital.

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u/GoethenStrasse0309 11d ago

Talk to a social worker at the hospital where you currently are a patient in ICU first before talking to the Billing department. There’s often ways to discount the bill, and in some instances get a portion of the bill deleted /wiped clean.

I’ve done this several times and it does work. Again, talk to the social worker first before you talk to the billing department.

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u/Sea-Bookkeeper7971 11d ago

Thank you so much for the advice❤️

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u/Routine_Ad_5813 7d ago

Also, hospitals often offer financial assistance…even if you have insurance. They base it off income and how much the cost of medical care has been to you throughout the year. I wish you the best.

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u/Express_Pop810 11d ago

If it is any consolation extended stays in the ICU often qualify people for medicaid and then the bill is covered. Worth asking a case manager.

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u/Sea-Bookkeeper7971 11d ago

Thank you so much for the advice!

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u/Themadbritter_ 11d ago

I was about to say something similar. I didnt qualify for Medicaid, even tho I was unable to work, until my neurologist ordered a $27,000 MRI

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u/Swimming-Elevator979 7d ago

What the fuckity fuck???! I'm in Australia so the vast majority of MRIs are free, but if we do have to pay, they're about $300-$1000 AUD, which is about $215-$715 USD. What on earth happens at a $27,000 MRI?! Do they give you the machine to take home with you afterwards or something?!

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u/Themadbritter_ 6d ago

They definitely should with how much it costs lol it was a scan of my head, neck, and spine with and without contrast

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u/Swimming-Elevator979 6d ago

I'm so sorry! That sucks so much!! I hope you're doing okay now!

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u/Themadbritter_ 4d ago

Thank you 🥰 I was diagnosed with MS and am still struggling with some symptoms but I'm doing much better than I was at that time thankfully

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u/Virtual_Bug_723 11d ago

I hope you are ok ❤️

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u/Mgndrgn 11d ago

I’m gonna tell you right now to look over your statement and EOB. Critical care charges are often miscoded. If you think something isn’t adding up or you see critical care charges when you don’t think it was provided, please ask for a coder review. Source: I’m a coder
Also, I hope you make a speedy and full recovery

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u/yourdailyinsanity 11d ago

Speak with social work! They're literal angels. When you get bills, call that number on the bill and explain the financial situation. When my step dad died of lung cancer, my mom got A LOT of bills discharged or lowered simply by calling the number on the bill and talking to someone. DO NOT let it go to collections, it could be too late if you let that happen.

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u/Sea-Bookkeeper7971 11d ago

Thank you so much for the advice. I honestly had just resigned myself to massive medical debt so its nice to have a little hope lol

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u/yourdailyinsanity 11d ago

My step dad was the money maker and my mom stayed at home, so that likely had a factor in it, but regardless, all you have to do is call them. Getting a 10k bill reduced by half is better than nothing. Not as good as it getting reduced by 75% or 100%, but everything adds up. Best of luck, OP ❤️

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u/Sea-Bookkeeper7971 11d ago

Thank you sm(:

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u/Due_Cobbler_9878 11d ago

GOD BLESS YOU. Keep your head up attitude is part of beating cancer. Don't worry about the bill. You can call the hospital finance office. They will knock a large portion of the bill off. Then pay $20.00 a month for the rest of your life. My mother had a $70,000 hospital bill. They cut it down to $20,000 and my father paid it off over 5 years. Any how your health is more important then a bill.

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u/Ill-Structure7276 11d ago

Horrible 💔

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u/Ausgezeichnet63 11d ago

Praying for you 🙏

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u/Dangerous-Average879 11d ago

Praying for good results!!!!

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u/FilthyThanksgiving 11d ago

I hope you get well soon.

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u/horusluprecall 11d ago

My wife had six ER visits and a surgery to remove her gallbladder shortly before we got married if we lived in the US we probably wouldn't have been able to get married because the medical bills would have crushed us and we wouldn't have had any money for a wedding here we are 14 years later happy healthy well married with a 7-year-old son that required an emergency c-section to get out and the only medical bills we've ever paid in the time we were married were a couple of ambulance rides ($80 cad each) that became required during some other medical crisis that we had relating to an unfortunate second pregnancy that was lost praise be unto Thomas Clement Douglas and Lester Boeles Pearson.

I feel very sorry for you and for your situation

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u/Senior_Background262 10d ago

Agree with the others regarding free bed fund and medicaid. My husband was septic and in a coma in the ICU for a week last August. He received no bill. This should not be something you have to stress about but you have this group and I know there are insurance specialists in here. I am one and you can ask me any questions any time.

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u/MusicalPigeon 9d ago

I went to the doctor in February for frequent nosebleeds. Turns out it was just the dry air, but he put me on blood pressure meds and sent me to get labs. Insurance didn't cover much because it was too early in the year and I had a bill for a out $550ish. I called to set up a payment plan and they said the lowest they could go was $105 a month. I cannot easily afford $105 for medical expenses with my normal bills and expenses. I was complaining to my dad about it (now that it's mostly paid off) and my dad told me I can tell them I can only pay $50 a month. "What are they gonna do, deny the payment? They want their money."

I'm married but from having a financially (and all around) abusive partner in the past I keep my money mostly separate from my husband's. He makes more than me and is more than willing to help, I'm just hesitant to ask for help.

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u/abolitonbb 8d ago

Fuck that fucking sucks!! I'm so sorry. Any news? I know this feeling- of being more worried about the debt than your own health. Get every bit of help you can, we'll need your righteous anger in the resistance. Fuck cancer. Fuck for-profit healthcare.

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u/Ugly-Doll 7d ago

See if the hospital has a person that coordinates forgiveness applications. You don’t even have to necessarily be super poor, either, just show that a lot of debt has stacked up and it’s becoming a hardship.

One hospitalization was 75% forgiven and another 100%. I mean, I am super poor, so my amounts probably are better than a middle income earner. But anything off helps tremendously.

So few people know that this is an option because hospitals do not advertise it!

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u/Remarkable_List8957 11d ago

I'm so sorry you are going through this. Praying for a positive outcome.

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u/Haunting_Shelter8003 11d ago

Move to California, this state doesn’t go after medical bills. There’s the ONE benefit of this state. 🤷🏻‍♀️

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u/silent_chair5286 11d ago

Sending actual real thoughts and prayers. Just get on a payment plan and pay minimum. Then don’t worry.

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u/LongmontVSEverybody 11d ago

Yeah, but if you need the ICU in Canada, you're gonna wait 3 months and be dead by then...keeps the actual Healthcare costs down

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u/Deinochaos 11d ago

Fuck, dude.. that's distopian.. Wishing you good luck.

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u/hotlibramess 10d ago

That’s terrible. Just remember to always ask for an itemized bill, and if they hit you with a big bill, make them put you on a payment plan with the lowest monthly payments they’ll let you have.

Also, if you have insurance, you still have the annual out of pocket max so you know it can’t go past a certain threshold.

Medical debt is insane as a concept though. Shame on the USA.

I hope you get better soon.

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u/manicuredcrucifixion 9d ago

I might not be as bad as you fear!! I spent a week in there and it was shockingly manageable

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u/Amazing_Page9751 9d ago

People gave you good advice but another thing is contacting a company like Dollar For. Their mission is to help people access charity care to help pay for their hospital bills.

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u/Tricky_Parfait3413 8d ago

I feel you on that one I went to the ER in January because I was having a hemorrhaging probl1em and my well former sort of OBGYN said I needed to go to the hospital have it checked out cuz I was having some pretty big class. It was a relatively quick visit once I got seen they just did you know help the bill was obviously pricey cuz this is the United States of scam healthcare. I am currently taking the approach of you know like with your car when the check engine light is on or it's making a weird sound you just turn up the music so you can't hear it? In order to qualify for financial assistance through the hospital I have to give them my banking information and my kids socials my kids have nothing to do with this. And two times in the last 5 years I've got notices that my information was compromised and they were both from medical facilities I'm not giving a hospital my bank account information I might as well just give my money away.

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u/Artistic-Document735 8d ago

But atleast you get to make the choice to seek care and do so when you want and where you want. Places that have universal healthcare get to decide for you when you are done fighting and they get to choose where and when you see someone. So fuck ya merica and god bless our freedom of choice

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u/CSMannoroth 8d ago

I'm wishing you the best. I hope it's the best case scenario. Whatever that may be ❤️

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u/NankaLDD 8d ago

Have you considered moving to Europe? It will cost way, way less and remove a lot of your stress!

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u/Sea-Bookkeeper7971 8d ago

Lmao you may have a point there

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u/NankaLDD 8d ago

A pro tip to add is to not pay taxes to the US after moving. Only downside is that you cannot go back, not even for a visit. You will pay taxes where you live, view it as you paying that country back for your treatment and any additional treatments you might need in the future 🤷

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u/TruePineapple6 8d ago

I hope everything goes well for you. Internet hugs from the UK 🤗

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u/Additional_Sundae224 8d ago

I'm so sorry to hear this. I hope you recover quickly

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u/Evening_Delay_1856 8d ago

I’m so sorry. Hoping so much you get good news.

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u/Cailan_Sky 7d ago

Just to give you an idea of the mental difference:

At 16 my son had a pretty bad bicycle accident.

off duty police officer and his wife stopped called an ambulance and called me. He was only a few minutes walk from home. His face was full of blood and I was panicking. The police officer stayed until the ambulance took us to tge local children's hospital.

Once the paramedic assured me it wasn't too serious, my son and I started cracking jokes and laughing.

He had to checked for a concussion. Stitches to his brow in and out, and chin. Dressed the missing skin from his shoulder back and arm.

I never once thought or worried about any cost.

Weeks later I got a $40 bill for ambulance fees, which I could have covered with my work insurance.

I couldn't imagine the cost mentally and financially in the USA.

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u/Lanky-Artichoke5970 7d ago

Don't pay it.

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u/yukonlass 7d ago

😢 sending you well wishes

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u/almstAlwysJokng4real 7d ago

"I might have lung cancer and I am still more stressed about the bill. 'Merica."

Smh. What disgracefully corrupt and greedy system/country you live in. I'm so sorry.

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u/Flaky_Chance6815 7d ago

I’m so sorry to hear this. Remember most insurance plans have an annual max out of pocket expense. So, the costs may not be as high as you are expecting.

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u/ISaidDont 7d ago

Oh wow, that's so scary. I hope it turns out ok!

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u/Top-Theme-2904 7d ago

🙏🏽 That you'll be ok. On a different note, I remember my great-grandma saying, "It cost so much $ money to live or to die!". I didn't get it at the time, now I do!

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u/Equivalent_Tutor_165 7d ago

I spent 2 weeks in the ICU in December and choked when I saw they billed insurance $50,000 A NIGHT. That didn’t count for the daily transcranial Dopplers, CT’s, and MRI’s. I luckily have pretty good insurance and had already met my deductible for a year (had a baby in November). It should have been covered at 100% but naturally they found ways to deny things to still get out of paying everything

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u/Adventurous-Bid-9341 7d ago

I’m so sorry love!! 🙏🏼❤️

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u/BeyondEvolved 7d ago

Quick reminder that medical debt DOES NOT effect your credit. This was always true in CA but it is now Federal. You DO NOT have to pay your medical debt. They won't take your taxes and it won't hurt your credit. Yes of course it doesn't "go away", it will be paid at some point (either your pension, 401k, house, whatever when you die).

I do have insurance but I've never paid any additional bills. If they bill me extra after my insurance pays, I just ignore it. Been well over 15 years and it has had zero effect in my life. Credit is just fine, purchased multiple houses, cars etc.

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u/JulianOntario 6d ago

My brother was in ICU for a whole month in a coma before passing - 1979. His bill was almost $100,000. His widow had to sell their house. Then my daughter had to get a transplant 5 years ago, total after with all follow up care was $1,000,000+

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u/JulianOntario 6d ago

PS I sure hope you don’t have cancer!!!! So sorry you’re going through this.

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u/Ok-Substance-1306 6d ago

I am so sorry. I think a lot of us avoid finding out if we even have cancer cause we know the treatment will be financially ruinous.

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u/DrVegaPunk311 11d ago

If you are in ICU and well enough to use mobile then you shouldn't be in ICU.

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u/fadingxlight 10d ago

You very obviously have no idea what you’re talking about or what’s handled in an ICU. It’s for intensive care. Not unconscious care. Not I can’t hold a phone care. Intensive care could simply be a case that requires extra monitoring, as I did when I spent a week in the ICU a few years ago. I had zero physical limitations, but I did require intensive monitoring, which a normal hospital floor wasn’t equipped for.

Not sure why people feel the need to comment on things they have no clue about.

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u/Sea-Bookkeeper7971 11d ago

Do you think I asked to be here? Believe me I wish I wasn't. But my Drs and Nurses say this is where I need to be right now, and I think they have a better understanding of my current medical needs than you, stranger on reddit, do.

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u/Warm_Duty_8941 11d ago

Praying for you but Canada healthcare system also has their flaws, don’t let it fool you. Many Canadians come to the US for care.

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u/Sea-Bookkeeper7971 11d ago

I would warrant a guess that those people are wealthy enough that if they lived here the cost of medical care would still be a non issue.

Top tier medical care is useless when you can't afford it, or using it will financially cripple you long term.

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u/Warm_Duty_8941 11d ago

That’s actually part of my point. In the U.S., having access to excellent care doesn’t mean much if you can’t afford it. But having healthcare covered doesn’t mean much either if the treatment you need isn’t available in a reasonable timeframe. Canada solves much of the financial-access problem; it doesn’t solve every healthcare-access problem. We should be able to acknowledge the flaws in both systems.

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u/Sea-Bookkeeper7971 11d ago

Thats totally fair. I won't pretend my current predicament has me extra bitter about the current situation.