Medical bills contribute to a large and increasing share of US bankruptcies

[Abominable Gorilla]

I wonder how many were dropped for "pre-existing conditions".

I think our current insurance coverage requirements aren't nearly as "consumer friendly" as they need to be.

Again, I concede the need to improve the system. However, I just wanted to clarify my understanding of your position. It seems to me that the information you posted is against a government option for healthcare.

This is true. Are you willing to pay for making insurance more "consumer friendly"?

IMO, it's not right for insurance companies to accept premiums and then drop a patient from care when something happens without refuding the premiums plus interest. If there are pre-existing conditions they should either be listed out beforehand or they should be something decided by a court, not the insurance company who clearly has bias.

[DogsWin]

It is an undisputable FACT that medical bills are a huge part of American bankruptcies. I can personally vouch for the white collar raping of Americans by doctors via BALANCE BILLING. Balance billing is when a doctor charges beyond what the insurance company's regular and customary payment fees are for routine services. Balance billing is done every day in medical emergency rooms and is ILLEGAL in California, New York, Florida and other states. Every year in state government the American Medical Association lobbies mercilessly to kill legislation to make balance billing in emergency situations illegal.

For example, last November I went to a BlueCrossBlueShield (my insurance provider) in-network hospital. My gallbladder had to be removed on an emergency basis. This is a routine operation which lasted <2 hours and I was only in the hospital for 1.5 days.

Upon leaving I paid all of my bills. Then four months later the HUGE BILLS started rolling in: $7,000+ (out of pocket to me- not total) for the doctor, $3,600 for the anesthesiologist, $1,000 to the radiologist,...

The total cost of this routine gallbladder removal was nearly $50,000 of which I was on the hook for ~$12,000! Negotiation with BCBS, the doctors,... relieved some of this, but I am still paying thousands simply because doctors can "charge what they feel they are due" and they will not agree to compromise and set standard fees.

Bottom line- let your son or daughter fall on their head from the monkey bars at school,... and get emergency treatment. You will see firsthand how balance billing in an emergency situation can bankrupt your family even if you have the finest health insurance available.

[nadB]

I subscribe to Legal Filings services for two parishes, and hospitals and such file lawsuits on occasion for unpaid medical bills, but it dang sure is a hell of a lot less than 62 % of such activities. Mostly, it's loan companies, and mortgage companies and credit card companies, etc., that are trying to collect.

Also, doctors and hospitals are probably the most "charitable" creditors out there when it comes to bill collecting. So long as someone is staying in touch and making an effort to pay, they are generally very forbearing and will allow a debtor to settle up over a long period of time.

I call B.S. on the article in the first post.

[Guisslapp]

I wonder how many were dropped for "pre-existing conditions".

I think our current insurance coverage requirements aren't nearly as "consumer friendly" as they need to be.

Are you familiar with the provisions in HIPPA relating to pre-existing conditions?

[DogsWin]

Also, doctors and hospitals are probably the most "charitable" creditors out there when it comes to bill collecting. So long as someone is staying in touch and making an effort to pay, they are generally very forbearing and will allow a debtor to settle up over a long period of time.

Absolutely total BS! ER doctors, anesthesiologists,... WILL NOT join a medical network. They get to bill THOUSANDS to unsuspecting patients because they arrange monopolistic agreements with hospitals so that they can GROSSLY overcharge unsuspecting emergency patients. This is BALANCE BILLING- look it up!

[Abominable Gorilla]

Also, doctors and hospitals are probably the most "charitable" creditors out there when it comes to bill collecting. So long as someone is staying in touch and making an effort to pay, they are generally very forbearing and will allow a debtor to settle up over a long period of time.

I got a letter from Morton Mease, a local hospital around here, which claimed that I, John McMahan, owed a sum of money for medical expenses. It had my address, but everything else in there was wrong. They were not very "charitable" regarding clearing up their obvious mistake.

At one point, the hospital demanded that I must provide the correct address for John McMahan if I expected them to clear my address from their records and they actually asked if I could give the letter to John myself.

Not that my personal story will make a difference, but it's there FWIW.

[nadB]

Absolutely total BS! ER doctors, anesthesiologists,... WILL NOT join a medical network. They get to bill THOUSANDS to unsuspecting patients because they arrange monopolistic agreements with hospitals so that they can GROSSLY overcharge unsuspecting emergency patients. This is BALANCE BILLING- look it up!

Not saying you didn't have a bad experience, but the ER doctors, etc., where I went last summer (ended up in ICU for a night) were part of the BC/BS network, and I thot everything was handled pretty fairly re the billing.

[nadB]

I got a letter from Morton Mease, a local hospital around here, which claimed that I, John McMahan, owed a sum of money for medical expenses. It had my address, but everything else in there was wrong. They were not very "charitable" regarding clearing up their obvious mistake.

At one point, the hospital demanded that I must provide the correct address for John McMahan if I expected them to clear my address from their records and they actually asked if I could give the letter to John myself.

Not that my personal story will make a difference, but it's there FWIW.

If you think mixups like that are a pain (sounds like it didn't cost you any money), just wait until the fed govt takes over...........................

[DogtorEvil]

It is an undisputable FACT that medical bills are a huge part of American bankruptcies. I can personally vouch for the white collar raping of Americans by doctors via BALANCE BILLING. Balance billing is when a doctor charges beyond what the insurance company's regular and customary payment fees are for routine services. Balance billing is done every day in medical emergency rooms and is ILLEGAL in California, New York, Florida and other states. Every year in state government the American Medical Association lobbies mercilessly to kill legislation to make balance billing in emergency situations illegal.

For example, last November I went to a BlueCrossBlueShield (my insurance provider) in-network hospital. My gallbladder had to be removed on an emergency basis. This is a routine operation which lasted <2 hours and I was only in the hospital for 1.5 days.

Upon leaving I paid all of my bills. Then four months later the HUGE BILLS started rolling in: $7,000+ (out of pocket to me- not total) for the doctor, $3,600 for the anesthesiologist, $1,000 to the radiologist,...

The total cost of this routine gallbladder removal was nearly $50,000 of which I was on the hook for ~$12,000! Negotiation with BCBS, the doctors,... relieved some of this, but I am still paying thousands simply because doctors can "charge what they feel they are due" and they will not agree to compromise and set standard fees.

Bottom line- let your son or daughter fall on their head from the monkey bars at school,... and get emergency treatment. You will see firsthand how balance billing in an emergency situation can bankrupt your family even if you have the finest health insurance available.

those guys have a lot of gall....yours apparently

http://instantrimshot.com/

[DogsWin]

Not saying you didn't have a bad experience, but the ER doctors, etc., where I went last summer (ended up in ICU for a night) were part of the BC/BS network, and I thot everything was handled pretty fairly re the billing.

If you can somewhat pre-plan a surgery all is fine. But on an emergency basis, keep going back and I PROMISE YOU will eventually experience balance billing. It can devestate a 401K plan in less than 48 hours and there is nothing the state Attorney General's office can do about it. Unfortunately, the practice is still very much legal in Louisiana and Texas.

[Abominable Gorilla]

If you think mixups like that are a pain (sounds like it didn't cost you any money), just wait until the fed govt takes over...........................

I agree. I'm against a government healthcare option.

[nadB]

If you can somewhat pre-plan a surgery all is fine. But on an emergency basis, keep going back and I PROMISE YOU will eventually experience balance billing. It can devestate a 401K plan in less than 48 hours and there is nothing the state Attorney General's office can do about it. Unfortunately, the practice is still very much legal in Louisiana and Texas.

Maybe in your local they do that so that "somebody" who can/will pay will ??

You know the illegals don't pay squat.

[PawDawg]

I wonder how many were dropped for "pre-existing conditions".

I think our current insurance coverage requirements aren't nearly as "consumer friendly" as they need to be.

None were dropped if they already had insurance. You can be denied intitial coverage if you have a pre-existing condition, but not dropped from exisiting coverage. This is one of the lies BHO uses in his talking points.

There is a reason it is called insurance.

[PawDawg]

If you can somewhat pre-plan a surgery all is fine. But on an emergency basis, keep going back and I PROMISE YOU will eventually experience balance billing. It can devestate a 401K plan in less than 48 hours and there is nothing the state Attorney General's office can do about it. Unfortunately, the practice is still very much legal in Louisiana and Texas.

Retirement accounts can't be attacked by creditors.

[PawDawg]

another point...

Most, if not all, Catholic hospitals will work out a very reasonable payment plan. State run (charity) facilicties accept payment plans. I've known of several other "for profit" facilities doing the same.