Young Adults Crushed by Surprise Medical Bills

“Okay let’s say a patient is trying to start home health services. Every nurse visit is roughly $130 per visit. Let’s say this patient has a 4K deductible that they have already met for the year. Insurance pays 80% once the deductible is met. However they have not yet met there OOP max so insurance won’t pay 100% just yet. What is there estimated cost for each nurse visit/ how do I calculate that?? submitted by /u/AutomaticPumpkin9190 [link] [comments]”

“What have people done to switch to self pay or get their bill reduced? I just got my bill for $10,505 from Natera after they said they take my insurance. Im freaking out and I was thinking to apply for their financial assistance but im not sure if I could just switch to self pay and get it reduced? Edit another question: Did you pay over the phone when you spoke with them or did you ask for a physical bill and then pay the $250/150 or whatever it was submitted by /u/Kind-Potential711”

“So recently heard about a thing called returnships from this forum... Anyone have any experience or advice or anything? Been out of work for 5 years for medical and then had a baby (I'm a woman in case that's relevant?) Background: BS in CS. 10+ years experience as a full stack dev with roles as a functional tester and scrum master/project manager over the years. So pretty solid and well rounded background. Worked both in corporate at a fortune 500 and then academia, both for about 5 or”

“I have 4 lab orders that I am trying to schedule, and my doc only has one appointment (8/6) available before September. Im trying to rush through this, but it took 4 weeks for my last scan to come back. Got a call with the results yesterday, saying something is wrong with my liver and gallbladder. BUT it doesn't explain half of my chronic symptoms, so my doc says there is probably more. What am I even supposed to do at this point? Treatment for what has been found won't happen by then. A”

“I genuinely don't get it, I just got a bill for 3k from the ER. But if I didn’t have insurance the hospital would cover 100% if you’re under the poverty threshold since it’s a non profit. If I’m still making under the poverty threshold (I just graduated college and have no job) why do I have to pay??? Why am I punished for having insurance??? submitted by /u/Electrical_Chain53 [link] [comments]”

“I (31F) have a serious medical condition with my ear that requires me to see an ENT. My GP says that they will possibly have to do surgery. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to see an ENT and even if I save money for the visit, my condition will still progress and get worse during that time. I have bad credit due to my parents taking out several loans in my name when I was younger, so I can’t take advantage of care credit, and I don’t qualify for Medicaid because I dont meet the requirements for th”

“Sorry if this is the wrong subreddit, but I have no idea where to ask. I a, also brand new to this stuff and have no one helping me out so I’d thought I’d ask. I went to the ER twice due to a mental health spiral, no insurance, first time I got a EKG, urine test, vitals and a prescription for Valium. and the second time was the same but I received Ativan. The second time I was at the er I got transferred to a psych ward an hour away. I had a outpatient appointment assigned to me while in the psy”

“It wasn’t a mistake. I did not call them because I want this all in writing. The emails I received were all from the same person so it wasn’t just a miscommunication. This person deliberately chose to charge my card after telling me they were setting up a payment plan.”

“Before providing the document or getting my signature, they charged the entire outstanding balance to the card they had on file, which overdrew my bank account by several hundred dollars. Afterward, I received an email saying my balance was paid in full because the card charge went through. My issue is that I did not authorize them to charge the full balance at that time. Have you called or visited the office to ask them about this? Maybe somebody just goofed and can refund it.”

“What did the office people say when you called them about this? Seems like a mistake rather than them intentionally trying to screw with you.”

“I think I messed up. My son has become medically complex. I currently work, but am paying more than $1300 (over half my check) a month in copays, medical supplies, etc. We will have lots appointments coming up that I need to be off for. My husband and I discussed me just staying home to be able to get my children on Medicaid, take my kids to appointments and accelerate my degree (I only have 16 classes left and I’m able to complete them as fast as I want.) I also planned on subbing a couple of d”

“I tried negotiating with the hospital. That didn’t go well. The bills ended up going to collection. I’d like to get everything cleared. Do I just call collections and pay? Do I need to do anything about credit? submitted by /u/J_See [link] [comments]”

“I had an ER visit, at the time of the visit I provided my digital ID insurance card. I was later billed the full bill without any insurance coverage. When I called the hospital, they are claiming that my policy number was incorrect and they were unable to verify eligibility, and so they did not file a claim. They say they won't file a claim now without a letter of agreement from my insurance that it will not be denied automatically, but my insurance does not provide such letters. The hospita”

“I’m wondering if anyone has had a similar experience. I took my NIPT test through Unity in March (October due date). I got a letter from my insurance saying it denied the claim (and it was a crazy amount of charges - like $18,000). But then I have yet to receive a bill from Unity. Is this normal? My doctor said the test usually costs about $300. Can I expect a crazy bill to still arrive at some point or did they just decide… not to charge me? submitted by /u/Green-Ball-719 [link] &#3”

“My OB office just called me and told me that while their practice is in network with my insurance, the hospital my doctor delivers at is out of network. I really love my doctor and have an established relationship with him from before pregnancy and I’m already 16 weeks and have seen him multiple times related to this pregnancy. The OB office told me that there are other doctors in their practice that I can switch to that do deliver at an in network hospital, but I’m just really hesitant to switc”

“A few days ago I got a pdf file of what my global estimate is going to be with my Obgyn. I can drop a picture but it is 3519 and some cents. It says on the paperwork I must have it paid in full by 24 weeks pregnant or I can be dismissed from the practice. I’m 9 weeks about to be 10. That only gives me until October to pay that and I cannot afford that right now. That’s roughly 1100 dollars a month that I can’t spare. I have a Hdhp and my deductible is 7 grand. I used all the money out of my hsa”

“I was freaking out last night because I got my bill for a 10-minute telehealth consult I had last week for a bullseye rash/tick bite. I’m on a high-deductible health plan for the first time since I took a full-time job and started earning just enough to disqualify me for state healthcare, which I used to have. I didn’t realize how good it was! A visit like that used to cost me a flat $30; now it’s $430 that I did not budget for. Not only that, I have to renew my car registration by the end of th”

“I owed a medical debt that wasn’t covered by my insurance, I was planning on letting it go to collections then negotiate after but they recently sent me an email saying I owed 20x less than the usual email. If I paid it will I be on the hook for the total amount? Will they take the money after providing a valid card? If I contact them will it also acknowledge the debt and reset the timer? submitted by /u/spookyB0 [link] [comments]”

“I did look into them but I also came across quite a few mixed experiences around customer support, refunds and people getting bounced between jason health and the lab when something went wrong.”

“They already sent a claim. They legally can't change to self pay because than it looks like the provider is giving them a preferential rate vs other insured patients. Only way to self pay is to never declare you are insured.”

“In New York, if you make less than $70K, they basically can’t do anything if you don’t pay your medical bills. Other debts don’t have the same protections.”

“This may seem like a shit post but new to the US healthcare system. No insurance right now and I’m trying to get basic bloodwork without getting destroyed on price. Not looking for anything crazy. CBC, CMP, cholesterol, A1C, vitamin D maybe. I saw Goodlabs has cheap individual tests and some free with donation option in certain areas. Anyone used them or found a cheaper route and is it worth it or do i just go direct through Quest or Labcorp? Just moved to SF for context! submitted by &#32”

“24, michigan I had a bill for around 5k for something done in Oct last year, didn’t pay it because my insurance was having issues and I didn’t have the money. Got a collection letter for it a while ago, but just received a voicemail regarding it today after I googled who was calling me (they said they were calling regarding a “personal matter”) Checking my patient portal, my debt definitely has been sold off as it says $0 balance Do I call back later and try to negotiate, or just not answer at a”

“Background: A couple months ago I went to the ER with abdominal pain. I was eventually seen in the ER where they determined I needed emergency surgery. (Further background: I had already been to the ER recently for the same condition and they referred me to an outpatient surgery consult in about a week, but the condition worsened and I didn’t even make it to that appointment). I waited for a bed in the ER and was eventually moved into a pre-op area of the hospital. I spent the night there and ha”

“Last November I went on a trip to Mexico and became sick after a few days. The day before returning home I arranged for a doctor to come see me, who came with an ambulance. She only spoke intermediate English and there was miscommunication. I explained my symptoms. They took my vitals and my blood pressure was very elevated. She recommended I go with them to the hospital so I did. No further assessment was done there I was only given some medication and released a few hours later with a slip whi”

“So. My four year old was running and hit his head super hard when he fell. I rushed him to the er for one hospital and they only gave us an ice pack and said to wait in the lobby. I moved him to a pediatric er and he was seen immediately there (he’s ok btw). However, the first hospital made me pay $200 to sit and wait without being seen. How can I cancel the bill?? submitted by /u/Kipps34 [link] [comments]”

“I have Kaiser through covered California, I had an ER visit in New York in march which turned into a hospital stay (out of network) . My EOB from Kaiser reflects a plan rate negotiated through Cigna’s network, which is a Kaiser payment of about 3200 and a patient responsibility of about 1800. The hospital in New York sent me a bill for about 15,000. To my understanding, it seems like Kaiser is covering their in network rates and the hospital is billing me for out of network rates. I’m trying to”

“Hello. I am going to Spain this summer and I will need to visit a couple of doctors but private check ups and tests are very expensive there so I wanted to know if private insurance is my bet to avoid paying very high prices. Keep in mind I was born in Spain but I am not a spanish resident nor do I have a Spanish passport/DNI. submitted by /u/vvdimitrov [link] [comments]”

“Hello - I had an annual physical and they scheduled a Zoom follow up appointment to go over results. The call was 5 minute and now I have to pay $200 for that visit. Has any one had the same issue and any suggestion on what I should do? I have emailed the billing department as well as submitting an appeal with the insurance company. Thanks in advance! submitted by /u/pinksushi123 [link] [comments]”

“I know this is a long one but I appreciate any who can stay. TLDR: A palliative care nurse dismissed my pain and a doctor accused me of being drug seeking I, 29F, met with a company that provides palliative care over a week ago. I made this appointment to meet with someone and discuss the possibility of receiving care from them. I show up and a woman (I thought she was a doctor, turns out she was a nurse) starts to talk to me about my medical history. She had a very cold demeanor and didn't”

“Hey everyone 24m, new first time dad to a awesome 1m old boy. He’s got some medical problems that are going to require routine Pt, OT, and specialist visits. I have pretty good insurance, but things will still cost money (for example an MRI is like $200) Should I open up a HSA to use as almost like a “checking” account for all of these anticipated medical expenses? Can it be used like that? Thanks! Edit: I would, for example, dump $500 into it to begin, then every paycheck add like $100 and cont”

“Call the hospital and discuss your bill but also ask for a meeting with their social worker.”

“To start I have Medicaid. I saw a minute clinic in January to get a prescription refilled when I couldn’t get to my regular doctor. Medicaid paid for the medicine but got a bill for the visit. Called minute clinic and they said I needed to contact Medicaid. Medicaid said they would cover it and minute clinic needs to bill it to them properly. I have called them numerous times and every time I call back they said they just need to resubmit the claim because “the previous member number on file was”

“I’m meeting with a community foundation this week regarding a charitable fund that was established years ago to help with my medical expenses after a serious illness. The money was donated specifically to help me, but the foundation currently administers the fund. I’m trying to better understand my rights and what options may exist. Some of the questions I have are: Has anyone successfully had control of a fund transferred to them or to another organization? If the original charitable purpose ha”

“In the United States medical bills cannot be sent to collections if you were making good faith payments. If you religiously send them five dollars a month they can’t do a thing.”

“I was seeing a patient advocate who was great but then suddenly, randomly i get a bill for several hundred bucks!! I am not saying that the service isn't good it has been positive, and the rates are fair of $25/hour. only that they are not transparent about what and when you have gone over what insurance covers. i wanted other people to know since many of us are on a fixed income and all of their marketing materials and onboarding never mention getting billed. submitted by /u/Int”

“If hospital won’t lower it substantially tell them you can’t afford to pay it so might as well send it to collection. You have 120 days before they can send it to collections. Once collections get it they have to wait 365 before they can put it on your credit. Gives you a lot of time to negotiate. I’d wait till the very end if they won’t play ball.”

“Years ago I was in a motorcycle accident. No health insurance and my motorcycle insurance was the most basic. While in the hospital the admin person came to my room to get my info for billing. Laughed at her, said I made $8/hr and they weren't getting shit. Was a few hours out of surgery. She came back about 20 minutes later and handed me paperwork to fill out. Needed my employer to sign some stuff to verify my pay. Needed the last year or two of tax returns. And for me to fill out a few pag”

“I don’t think so. I had a four-day stay with emergency c-section, and the insurance-adjusted amount was $19,800 (like what they paid the hospital and providers), of which I owed $0. That was with two surprise surgeries (the c/s and a second related to a complication). Both hospital stays seem unusually high.”

“Never go to the ER unless you believe you are about to die. Fainting isn't in that territory. Better to go to Urgent care the next morning.”

“I don't have health insurance. I got up in the middle of the night to let my dog out, fainted twice, and went to the ER at a Northwell Health hospital. I was there for under two hours, during which they did blood tests, hooked me up to an EKG, and gave me an IV. They found nothing wrong — just said I was probably dehydrated/stressed and had a "vasovagal syncope." Just got my bill and it's $3,665. How can I lower this? submitted by /u/Missburr [link] [comments]”

“I had to stay an extra day and had complications, but only paid the copays for me and my baby. It was less than $1,000. It’s all dependent on your insurance, if the providers are in network, and how everything is charged out.”

“You have ridiculously low health insurance coverage for someone who was trying to have a baby.”

“I just received a summons to appear in court later this month for an unpaid medical bill of $1800, and I feel very lost. I was unable to pay at the time of the cost, which was about 2 years ago, and honestly I sort of forgot about it due to stress and other things going on. And I’ve extremely tight financially right now, and can’t afford to have my wages garnished or pay a lump sum. I really don’t have any idea how this all works though and don’t know what I should be doing. Should I be requesti”

“I had a baby 2 months ago. All bills have gone through my insurance by now and it comes out to about $10k. I'm amazed at how high this is, as my birth was relatively quick, simple vaginal with epidural, no significant complications with a 1 night hospital stay (hospital and OBGYN all in network) The breakdown of this 10k is as follows: 6k for my labor & delivery and hospital stay (for me) 2.5k for the newborn's hospital stay (for baby) $500 for OBGYN services (for me) $300 for anesth”

“So last month i get bill from hospital, almost 900 dollar for just checkup and one blood test. I was so scared, my hand literally shaking when i open envelope. Then my friend tell me, always ask for "itemized bill", not the summary one. So i call billing office, i say politely "can you send me itemized bill please", they send it next day. And guess what, i see they charge me twice for same test!! Also they add some "facility fee" i never even ask for. I call back, i”

“The estimate warning is real, but that doesn't mean the bill itself is correct. Different MRI codes exist, sure, but so do billing errors that push the final charge way above what even the right code should cost. Before you accept the higher number, get the itemized bill (not just the summary) and check three things: whether any line items are duplicates, if the per-unit prices exceed Medicare rates for your area, or if they're billing for add-on codes that shouldn't be bundled toget”

“I went for an MRI in May at the hospital, outpatient, and when I checked in at the front desk they ran my insurance for a ridiculously long time and produced a piece of paper with my estimated cost after insurance; it was about $450. The lady at the front desk told me I could pay now or later, and my knee-jerk response was to pay then, but she advised me to pay later after insurance finalized everything, so I decided to pay later. She had me sign the paper with the $450 estimate that I would pay”

“Recently got my tuition statement for the semester and my university switched their insurance company for another and its higher than what I was paying before? The new insurance company is Aetna Student Health, should I just pay for it or is it better to get insurance elsewhere if it’s cheaper?? submitted by /u/Fit_Bookkeeper_6784 [link] [comments]”

“Throwaway account I had a Baylor Scott and white doctor appointment, and I kinda just forgot to pay the bill they sent me after. Totally honest mistake on me because i’m busy with 2 jobs and just didn’t have the time or remember to pay it off. It has since gone to debt collection, i’m wondering if I can get it off of my credit score? [link] [comments]”

“Hey everyone, I'm looking for advice or to hear from anyone who has been through something similar. My sister gave birth on March 23 at 35 weeks. The baby was critically ill and was admitted to the NICU. She was then airlifted to a second hospital that specializes in caring for the sickest newborns. Tragically, my niece passed away the next day after about 15 hours of life. Fast forward to June, and my sister and brother-in-law have been overwhelmed with medical bills totaling an unbelievabl”

“So I recently went to the ER to see if they could do anything for me - I formerly had an NG, but my parents forced my doctors to remove it, and once that happened my doctor refused to replace it once I turned 18 and told me to see another doctor. My condition has declined since then and I was desperate for help, so I went. As I'm looking over the notes from my visit, it's just flat out disgusting. First, the ER doctor said I have "history of psychiatric and somatic designations&quot”

“Long story short, my husband started a job 72 days ago...his insurance for said job doesn't allow enrollment until 90 days, go figure. His old job's ensurance ran out because this job had delays in hiring and so there was a period where he was and still is uninsured. So he ended up in the ER with severe abdominal pain rule out apendicitis 2 days ago... CT scan, ultrasound, IV and bloodwork. We are expecting a 20k bill or something arent we? Anyways, we were told that because of”

“Guys I need help. I think I’ve messed up my insurance and what will cover my labor and delivery, etc care. I have insurance through my work now, but now realized I won’t be covered once I go into labor/on maternity leave due to the type of work it is (travel nursing). I don’t want to pay for cobra afterwards because the prices are crazy. I’m wondering if anyone has any advice or leads on reasonable insurance that will help cover delivery day one. I was told by an insurance rep that some private”

“San Diego, CA. Got presented with $0 estimated costs for a visit. Dentist is in network, for new patient procedures. They handed me a financial agreement to sign before I left. The statement on it was follows below, is this allowed? Got a bill today with $1k worth of images and a CBCT. Can I fight this? I was not told at any time that any service they were doing was not covered. Here’s the text from the document: I HAVE READ THIS DOCUMENT AND AGREE TO THE COST(S) AND TERMS AS NOTED INCLUDING: I”

“The right side of my face has been droopy and tingling for the past few days. I thought it would get better but it hasn't and I'm concerned I may need a doctor visit. The only problem is, this was my first year on insurance not from a job and I stupidly missed open enrollement and have been rocking without insurance. What are my best options? submitted by /u/Eagles56 [link] [comments]”

“So, in my past experience I would talk to the front desk after a dentist appointment and pay whatever copay there was, if insurance didn’t fully cover it. I moved somewhere new and use the same insurance after leaving my parent’s insurance. Did a regular checkup, was told insurance covered it, came back for a couple fillings and paid $125 copay (kept the receipt). Two months later I get an invoice from the dentists office for almost $300. I’m now being told that was an estimated copay by both th”

“I was admitted to the hospital to give birth and I was discharged after 24 hours (specifically- at hour 26). I submitted my hospital indemnity claim and it keeps getting denied saying “I didn’t meet the requirement for 20 hour confinement.” I have submitted documentation from my medical records, a discharge summary, literally everything I can think of and it has been denied twice now. One of my documents even shows time stamps (ie. Admitted on Monday at 1436, discharged on Tuesday 1851). What el”

“Just had bloodwork at the transplant clinic I've been going to for 24 years. Since it was my yearly check up and I'm a long term kidney patient they took 9 vials of blood that added up to a bunch of results. Anthem has always covered these test until this month they denied the labs because one test, Allosure Kidney was sent to a different lab. On my EOB is shows I owe a bunch of money for out of network. 8 of the vials we're completed at the lab like always and this one was sent out”