Topic 'Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical' in forum 'Rants, Raves, and Praise' - dslreports.com

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 11:10:46 EDT

Stix posted :

quote:
They did an EKG, an Echocardiogram, drew blood 3 times, a stress test, and everything turned out fine luckily. My complaint is that my wife and I are going to owe $2116 to Brotman for our coinsurance

If it makes you feel any better i was just in the hospital for essentially the same things and the same length of time and thus far i'm on the hook for $2500.00. I'm posting this just for a comparison.

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 03:32:12 EDT

jubangy posted : Probably because every time they raise the tax to cover something they also raise "their cut" which means in a year or 2 down the road they are raising the same taxes to cover the exact same things the taxes previously raised were supposed to cover.

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 15:08:44 EDT

bombadill posted :

said by Fir_Na_Tine:

Another reason we should have universal healthcare in this country. Families shouldn't go broke and into huge unrecoverable debit because of health reasons.

In Aus. we may pay higher tax rates but we do get a fairly good "universal" medical insurance scheme for the unemployed, pensioners and chronically ill. I've got cancer and am an age pensioner. If I had to pay the stated price for my 6 monthly injections I'd not be here today.

Paying tax all my working life has been a benefit although for 50 working years I've complained about my taxes.

At the risk of being flamed, I do find it difficult to come to terms with what I read about your 'fiscal cliff" argument that says, I'll not pay more tax, but do want the government to provide me services.

TANSTAAFL ;)

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 10:29:53 EDT

AVD posted :

said by Fir_Na_Tine:

I
Another reason we should have universal healthcare in this country. Families shouldn't go broke and into huge unrecoverable debit because of health reasons.

we need REFORM, against all these scams and illicit practices.
--
* seek help if having trouble coping
--Standard disclaimers apply.--

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 14:24:32 EDT

Fir_Na_Tine posted : I think they send out bills and inflate them just to see if they get paid. My wife had some X ray and a Ultrasound thing done and we paid cash at the time it was done since we don't have any insurance. About a week later a bill from the radiological center came in. I called to complain that we paid already and were told no more charges. She said it was sent out by accident. Funny because a month later we had similar X rays done and same thing happened. I think they hope that it will just get paid without the person investigating it. Extra money for them.

Another reason we should have universal healthcare in this country. Families shouldn't go broke and into huge unrecoverable debit because of health reasons.
--
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."
-Jimi Hendrix

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:38:55 EDT

Dodge posted :

said by chamberc:

said by billydunwood:

Just my rant about how this hospital not only sucks, but how they also overcharge and sneak in charges by just putting, miscellaenous.

Those charges have to be included in order to recoup costs incurred by patients not paying for services. It is similar to taxes where you are paying for services you are not consuming.

I had a hospital bill like that several years ago. When I asked the hospital to explain the charge, they pretty much told me that there are charges in there for non-paying patients.

I politely explained to them that I am not a charity and have no intention of sponsoring anyone. After a long argument about "state mandated" this and "we'll file collections" that, I was able to explain to them that if they file the collections and ruin my credit over these charges, then I may as well not pay anything at all and settle with collections for pennies on a dollar in a few years.

All of a sudden the charges were gone. (Funny how "blackmail" works both way:)

Oh and I did force them to recalculate the co-insurance based on insurance agreed upon rates, not their random numbers.

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 15:38:07 EDT

chamberc posted :

said by billydunwood:

Just my rant about how this hospital not only sucks, but how they also overcharge and sneak in charges by just putting, miscellaenous.

Those charges have to be included in order to recoup costs incurred by patients not paying for services. It is similar to taxes where you are paying for services you are not consuming.

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 18:50:40 EDT

psafux posted : Glad that your wife will be OK - that is the most important thing.

You should see my hospital bill when I was in the hospital for 32 days, in and out of ICU, moved to a variety of rooms (each move required new supplies & tissue boxes that were alone billed at $48 each), teams of specialists, multiple MRI's & cat scans not to mention supplies & medicine for home recovery (~6 months). Insurance paid over $250k, I still owe my cut of it but am making progress. The itemized printout is over 200 pages.

Medical care does seem unnecessarily expensive, don't be afraid to ask where the charges are coming from.

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:34:52 EDT

EUS posted : Yes it's no hassle to us, except when I try to get service.....
The biggest joke with our system is what follows when report after report comes out explaining why our system is unsustainable; everyone sticks their head in the sand, refusing to believe it.
*Sorry for O/T.
--
~ Project Hope ~

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:28:07 EDT

Rifleman posted : Yeah---its a mess but at least one doesn't bankrupt himself if something serious happens. It needs work, but it's still one big load off a family's mind,

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:05:28 EDT

EUS posted : I wouldn't laud our system. It's a big pit of expensive bureaucratic systems made to hide the cost/benefit to the average taxpayer.
--
~ Project Hope ~

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:55:49 EDT

Rifleman posted : I honestly never read up on the USA system but from what I can see----why do most oppose a paid medical system like canada? Even 50/month tax would be worth it for free care?

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:32:09 EDT

GroovyPhoenx posted : Well if they are billing for services (ICU/CCU) that she was not in, I'd certainly fight the bill tooth and nail until they can explain what the ICU/CCU charges are doing on our bill and if they are justified.

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 23:00:13 EDT

TheMG posted : While the Canadian health care system does have its shortcomings, I'm just glad we never have to deal with hospital bills! Sounds like a huge PITA.

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 20:38:18 EDT

billydunwood posted :

said by Cthen:

You mean to tell me that they didn't charge you another $2k for driving there and parking in their parking lot? Maybe the billing agent was a new employee that day.
(Yes, I'm actually surprised that they didn't!)

They wanted to charge me $8 to park, but I just went 50ft into the parking lot and next door and it was free. I figured they are overcharging people to make up for the 1 or 2 bankrupcies they have had, and the 2 patient deaths(and fines from CA department of health that found them negligent). They have to pay for that someway.
--
No Victim=No Crime

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 16:48:43 EDT

Cthen posted : You mean to tell me that they didn't charge you another $2k for driving there and parking in their parking lot? Maybe the billing agent was a new employee that day.
(Yes, I'm actually surprised that they didn't!)
--
"I like to refer to myself as an Adult Film Efficienato." - Stuart Bondek

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 14:27:16 EDT

bionicRod posted :

said by billydunwood:

When you take your car to a mechanic, you get a bill with what they did, not just miscellaneous.

Truer words were never spoken. Medical billing is just so completely fucked up. People generally don't get an idea of cost beforehand so it's hard to compare prices between hospitals and doctors, then they seem to bill whatever and however much they can. $31,000 for a two day stay? How is anyone supposed to pay that? What other business works like that??

My mother in law had a similar experience to yours when my father in law went in for surgery. She asked for the itemized list and found a ton of stuff that didn't have anything to do with him. I'm willing to bet that it's very common but most people don't bother because they have insurance. Good luck and hope your wife gets well soon.

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 22:42:03 EDT

Secyurityet posted : Wait 'till you get all the bills from the doctors who provided the actual treatment/services. All you have thus far is the HOSPITAL's charges...

I've learned the hard way to ask up front if all the doctors are "preferred providers."

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 13:45:11 EDT

gateguy posted :

said by billydunwood:

When you take your car to a mechanic, you get a bill with what they did, not just miscellaneous.

Not to distract, but often there is a line item for Shop Materials. Supposed to be for towels, cleaners, spray lubes and all sorts of other miscellaneous items.
--
Time for a new message.

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 12:59:39 EDT

AVD posted : WOW

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 22:07:47 EDT

billydunwood posted :

said by thegeek:

hospitals are notorious for getting the bills wrong. requesting the itemized bill was the smart first move. also, hospitals charge ridiculous amounts because there are a lot of people without insurance that simply cannot pay. they have to cover those expenses some how. the insurance company likely will not pay anywhere near close to what the billed amount was anyway. they will have set rates that they will pay. still, your coinsurance will likely be a percentage of the original bill so it is in your best interest to get that itemized bill asap and go through it with a fine tooth comb. also, sit down right now and write down absolutely everything you can remember that the hospital did for your wife that you think they could bill for. it's best to do that now instead of waiting because the longer you wait the more you will forget.

and most importantly, i hope your wife is doing better now. dealing with medical issues of a loved one is hard enough, trying to worry about obnoxious medical bills only makes it harder. try to stay calm and have patience and good luck!

Thanks so much, she is doing better. They didn't find anything wrong with her cardiovascular system. We remember everything they did and every medicine they gave her. The insurance company ended up paying $5600, and we are responsible for $2116
--
No Victim=No Crime

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:45:48 EDT

thegeek posted : hospitals are notorious for getting the bills wrong. requesting the itemized bill was the smart first move. also, hospitals charge ridiculous amounts because there are a lot of people without insurance that simply cannot pay. they have to cover those expenses some how. the insurance company likely will not pay anywhere near close to what the billed amount was anyway. they will have set rates that they will pay. still, your coinsurance will likely be a percentage of the original bill so it is in your best interest to get that itemized bill asap and go through it with a fine tooth comb. also, sit down right now and write down absolutely everything you can remember that the hospital did for your wife that you think they could bill for. it's best to do that now instead of waiting because the longer you wait the more you will forget.

and most importantly, i hope your wife is doing better now. dealing with medical issues of a loved one is hard enough, trying to worry about obnoxious medical bills only makes it harder. try to stay calm and have patience and good luck!

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:11:07 EDT

Bob posted : Around here, the hospital cashier's office is the one empowered to fix problems like this.

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:17:22 EDT

billydunwood posted :

said by CylonRed:

Readers Digest had an article with suggestions and research sites to lower your hospital bills. I think it was last month or the month before.

Thanks for the info, I will take a look at that. Before we pay anything or even negotiate, we are going to request a itemized bill.
--
No Victim=No Crime

Re: Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 20:03:30 EDT

CylonRed posted : Readers Digest had an article with suggestions and research sites to lower your hospital bills. I think it was last month or the month before.
--
Brian

"It drops into your stomach like a Abrams's tank.... driven by Rosanne Barr..." A. Bourdain

Hospital Milking us and insurance company/Brotman Medical

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 19:33:57 EDT

billydunwood posted : Well, the wife was in the hospital for 2 days. They billed our insurance $31000 for 2 day stay. 1 of those nights is the hospital's doctor's fault because he said he would release her on the 2nd day, but never came back to do that, despite us asking the nurse to call the doctor. Anyways, there is over $5300 is MISCELLANEOUS charges from the online claim detail on Blue Shield's website, and over $8000 in ICU/CCU charges, even though she was not in an ICU/CCU. Plus, they have another $8355 in labratory fees. Seriously, they drew her blood 3 times and they charge $8300? We never wanted to go to Brotman Medical Center here in our city, because it truly is horrible. The reviews online are terrible, they have been fined 2 times in the last 4 years by the Health Department for killing 2 people(once they let a man fall out of his wheelchair, the other time a nurse injected a medication wrong). However, our doctor for some reason said that our insurance mandates we go to Brotman Medical Center. While that is completely not true( our medical group and insurance says: Brotman, Cedars Sinai, or Olympia(Olympia is a great hospital)). She was in for an irregular EKG per her cardiologist. They did an EKG, an Echocardiogram, drew blood 3 times, a stress test, and everything turned out fine luckily. My complaint is that my wife and I are going to owe $2116 to Brotman for our coinsurance, but the way they overcharge my insurance and the terrible services they provide(read their reviews too), it's not worth half that. I am going to ask them for an itemized list for all charges and proceed from there. I want to see what Miscellaneous items add up to $5300. Just my rant about how this hospital not only sucks, but how they also overcharge and sneak in charges by just putting, miscellaenous. When you take your car to a mechanic, you get a bill with what they did, not just miscellaneous.
--
No Victim=No Crime