April Fool's and not April Fool's

[thistlechaser]

PSA: Keep in mind today is April Fool's Day, the day when it's perfectly okay to try to trick other people and make them feel bad about falling for some stupid joke. Yes, for the first time in years I fell for a joke. Posted to a comm alerting people to this new thing. Forgot what day it was. Ended up looking like an idiot. BUT IT'S ALL IN GOOD FUN SO IT'S OKAY, RIGHT?

Sorry, world, I have damned bigger things on my mind than keeping track of a a stupid "holiday". Like a new $10,000 bill for my hospital stay months back. It's almost funny, I was grumpy that I got a $1,000 bill when I was first released. Then I got a $500 one, then two more $500 ones, then another $1,000 one, then a $3,000 one, now this $10,000 one.

I have to see how much I can argue them down on it. Turns out the home nurse and the IV antibiotics were out of network, so I have to pay the $10,000 deductible out of pocket.

Each visit from the home nurse, most of which were 10 minutes, longest was 20, cost me $850 per day! And $200 per day for the antibiotics. This went on for more than two weeks!

I'm starting to think the adults in Loki's Wolves were right -- the system is corrupt. Let all life end and we can start over. Maybe the new life won't invent an April Fool's Day.

Comments

[hamsterwoman]

Ouch on the hospital/nurse bills -- that's crazy :( (And a really high deductible too, whoa...) I hope you're able to get some of that covered and/or reduced!

I totally fell for my company's April Fool's video/prank, partly because I saw it last night, before it was officially April Fool's. But it was actually hilarious, so I don't begrudge them the ~3 minutes before seeing the "important video message" note on our homepage and the video loading when I was thinking, "Crap, are they announcing layoffs or something?". Not a huge fan of April Fool's in general, because I don't like pranks, but I do look forward to "opt-in" sort of things like XKCD's comic-with-a-twist, etc.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

The deductible is strange. It's actually $4,000, but on top of that you have to pay $6,000 out of pocket before the insurance will cover any. I can't see how that's different than having a $10,000 deductible.

Yeah, I wouldn't mind an opt-in type thing, where you know going in what you're getting.

[hamsterwoman]

That is weird... I think my company has a similar plan but would call the $6k the deductible and the $4k something like a "bridge". But health insurance is so bloody complicated and getting more complicated by the year it seems :/

[al-zorra.livejournal.com]

It's astonishing what things cost in Drs. offices too -- walk in, ambulatory patient care.

The very simple elbow fracture cost my insurance carrier about $15,000. X-rays and the reading of them appear to be major billing, but there are the others, which include just walking into the office. Sigh.

I'm paying about $500 out of my pocket as co-pay. It's just insane what health care is. If my fracture had been more complicated and extensive I shudder to think.

Hospital stays? YIKES!

Yeah, try to get them to itemize better and talk them down.

I'm sorry to hear this news. Nor do I see at all how the AHC program is changing this -- other than making an already way out of control, complicated and too costly system all the more so.

Love, C.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the hospital charged my insurance company $160,000. Then add on $15,000 for all this out of network stuff, and another $5,000 for the image readings and such (CAT scans, MRIs, whatever they did to me). It's insane.

I have no idea how this is ever going to be made better. At least Obama was trying, with the Republicans attempting to block every single step. This is never going to get fixed in America.

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

And that is AFTER your insurance? So crazy.

There is no reason why it should cost so much.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yep, after it.

100% agreed.

[heathersmoo.livejournal.com]

Wow! I hope you are able to work out a good payment plan for that. What a bill! :(

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah, seriously...

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

Yikes. Oddly, you are making me feel better about my own crappy insurance, because even though it has a $3500 deductible, they cover 50% up to the out-of-pocket max which is only another $1500 on top of that.

But it's crazy when you go to an in-network facility and they work with out-of-network elements - it's not like you have any choice! I had the same problem with a procedure that was in-network but the anesthesiologist was out! And...$850/day for the nurse? Can you appeal that as it's obviously an 'insurance' cost they expect to get less from?

And then you have to fight to get things covered at all. Sigh. I hate our medical insurance system.

[resonant.livejournal.com]

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/pub/discover.pdf

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Haha! Good plan. :D

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I would have never thought to ask if it was in network, even if I had been healthy enough to think it through!

So very agreed. I'm so frustrated and annoyed. This brings it up to about $185,000 billed to my insurance for two weeks in the hospital and two weeks with a home nurse. I can hardly even wrap my head around that.

[teaandfailure.livejournal.com]

I feel VERY lucky that my place of work frowns upon April Fool's jokes.

My cat did leave a disemboweled squirrel ass on my front doorstep though.

APRIL FOOLS, A SQUIRREL BUTT.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Haha, thanks for the laugh even though POOR SQUIRREL. My darned cat won't even kill the bugs in my apartment. She watches them forever, then bats them once or twice and then wanders off. EARN YOUR KEEP, CAT. EAT THAT SPIDER!

[daturabelle.livejournal.com]

yikes. i can't even imagine how they come to figures like that.
makes me even more appreciative for our system over here...

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I know. It's just plain insane.

[changeling72.livejournal.com]

That's appalling.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yep. Totally is.

[spike7451.livejournal.com]

Ouch!! That is one hefty bill. Hope you can argue them down on it.

*hugs*

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I do too. *hugs*