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Patients Beware: Hospitals Are Increasingly Requiring Cash Up Front

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When corporate medicine reared its ugly head in the 70's with the HMO's and other schemes I knew we were in trouble. I never guessed healthcare would become totally disfunctional though. God help anyone, even with relatively minor health concerns and insurance, to get help.

banshee909 of TN 1:48PM March 23, 2013

I am so tired of paying upfront. I live in Florida. They made me pay up front for a procedure that I have done monthly. In Jan I reached my deductible. They had no way of knowing that. And I didn't know at the time either. Now In Feb I had to pay up front again. Now I overpaid them by $100. When I called they said they will not pay me back, that because I have monthly appts set up they will use the money as credit towards the monthly procedures that have already been set up. What? They are holding my money for procedures I did not even have yet? Isn't that illegal? Where can I go to complain?

Barbara Retkowski of FL 9:52PM February 26, 2013

It is a sin and a shame that we are the only industrialized country that thinks of something as fundamental as health care as a privilege. I am willing to pay more taxes for everyone to have health care. Everyone!! Not just the rich. These large amounts of money required before surgery essential to determining life or death illnesses is a barbaric notion; unbecoming any civilization that considers itself 'enlightened". Nobody asks to get sick. Last year I had a house note, car note and student loan. I got sick! Afterwards, even with what is considered good insurance, I ended up with over $60,000 of out of pocket expense. Mostly because while I was unconscious I was seen by out of network people. I went to emergency in an in network hospital and thought I was safe. After the episode was over,I found out that the hospitalists (doctors hired by the hopital) and even the radiology department was out of network. What a sham. Then I had to fight with my insurance company. Let's get rid of all that.

Andrea Holmond of AZ 4:08PM February 03, 2013

I too had a similar thing happen to me. This past week I went into the hospital for surgery. The day of my procedure, upon admission, the admissions clerk drew up what she called an estimate of my out of pocket cost based upon my insurance. The estimate showed the total to be billed to my ins would be approximately $46k, and my out of pocket cost would be well over $9,000. She told me that I must pay at least half of the $9,000 right then and there or I would have to reschedule my surgery. (there had been over a years worth of planning behind this surgery before this day...)
Thanks to my good sense, I pulled up my benefit booklet and informed her that I had a $2,000 annual out of pocket maximum. She then reduced the costs, but I still had to pay $1,000. I was scraping change literally 5 minutes before I was called back for pre-op.
I was and still am furious that hospitals would charge patients thousands of dollars based upon an estimate. I've worked in the healthcare industry, and I am well aware that costs can change drastically between the procedure and the time the claim is filed.
To top this off, no one had called me before my surgery to inform me of this new rule.

Rachel of AL 12:56PM October 01, 2012

I had this very thing happen to me just days prior to surgery for early stage breast cancer. On two occasions just a few days apart, employees of the hospital's Financial Services office called me to "verify my name, address, city, state, zip and birth date". Then I was hit with "part of your surgery will cost X amount, how do you want to pay for this, do you want to make arrangements to pay for this now, do you want to use your credit card, how do you plan to pay for this? I almost called off my surgery because of this. I did register my concerns the day before surgery, however, my difficulty with this hospital has grown ten fold since surgery and radiation treatments. I'm appalled and deeply concerned for my situation. When did we stop caring about one another/stop helping one another? When did the bottom line become the almighty dollar and not the health, well being and lives of one another? This concerns me and saddens me both.

Susan Simmons of KS 12:25PM September 14, 2012

The idea that hospitals and health care providers are collecting the bill before the service is rendered is like paying for a restaurant bill before you take the first bite. What is the service and food is bad? What if the surgery is bad or the service is bad? You won’t have the ability to limit the tip on a medical bill, you can bet that gratuity will be included in some administrative fee or supply service. The point being that hospitals should take a retainer, a credit card number, no different than a hotel stay or a book a vacation with a down payment. Free medical care is something of the past… Bill collectors should not become the standard for regaining monies from past due bills for services, in that respects the hospital administrators are ethical correct.
Brent

Brent of FL 12:32AM August 17, 2012

If you have insurance can a hospital charge you up front before you get discharges to 10% Co insurance cost if they have not billed yet they are suppose to charge 10% of the reasonable and customary amount so they don't know how much the insurance is going to tell them to write off if we over pay you think they will refund the difference? No they hope you completely forget about it. Is this even legal their is no deductible or copay

bertha of CA 1:16PM February 29, 2012

I am sick to death of the greedy insurance companies raising their premiums
every five minutes, so that only the very affluent can afford coverage on their
own. Then they try to get out of paying for legitimate claims or procedures,
after soaking their consumers dry with excessive premiums, co-pays and
deductibles. I think it's outrageous, this has nothing to do with illegals,
but greed pure and simple! Then the hospitals charge excessive fees to
the consumer, especially those who pay on their own and they wonder why
they don't get paid! It's all a big racket! It should be illegal to ask for payment
upfront in an emergency situation! Health care should be available to all, and
insurance premiums based on ability to pay.

P.M. of CA 6:28PM November 16, 2010

My grandson has a small health insurance, he has already used up his 5 visits a year limit.
He has had bad tonsils and sinuses for over a year now, they wanted to do surgery. We had him set up, only to find out he has to first come up with 4000.00 to the hospital before this could happen. Now you would think they would except the insurance portion and let him make payments, ( not so ).We have tried other ways, like trying to put him on medicare, since he is a student. Every thing we have tried so far has not worked, I guess we are not needy enough. Now, i have to ask, who the heck has 4000.00 up front?
I feel just having a small insurance plan would be proof enough that we are willing to make payments.
How is it that we are citizens 100 per cent in the good old U.S.A. AND THE ONES HERE ILLEGAL GET free help, with ever thing and pay no taxes?????????????? This is a disgrace and the most inhumane thing American people are having to indure. Not fair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

william cochran of GA 12:16PM October 16, 2010

This is crazy! I live on a fixed income and a single parent, so if my kids get sick and need surgery and the damn bill is 30,000 dollars your expecting my 20% now? As long as I make payments like I always have because im not rich whats the big deal? Someone needs to look at this matter and fix it now!

amy of KY 6:49PM August 24, 2010