Health care costs in the US are completely reasonable

[Aerows]

Raccoon bite, rabies series?

$18,000. I shit you not. I was walking, didn't spend a day in the hospital, just got injected with bad shit in the emergency room and got shots that took a total of five minutes apiece.

[Autumn]

1. $18,000 for just your rabies series?

That's fucking outrageous. Beats the hell out of getting rabies but damn that fucking ridiculous.

[Aerows]

4. I was stunned

I still am. I can't even wrap my head around that.

[jsr]

2. It was $5,082 two years ago:

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=650902

05-06-2012, 07:26 PM

So, guess what it cost last week for somebody to get the first set of shots in the Emergency Room after we figured out the cat that did the scratching was rabid?

$5,082. For 8 shots (one vaccine and seven separate syringes of the same immunoglobulin injected into seven different sites). This includes a doctor and some fiddling around, but no treatment of the wound, no tests, just the consult and the injections in the ER.

[Aerows]

3. I got the nasty one where they inject it directly into the wound

in the ER (no anesthetics, just grind your teeth and handle it), and then 5 other ones that took like five minutes. $18,000.

[stillwaiting]

6. It was $13,000 four years ago for my uncle in Atlanta.

I'm sure the price widely varies.

Even the lowest price is ridiculous in this damn sold-out country.

[belcffub]

22. thats about what it was for us two years ago

we had a bat loose in the house flying around while we slept... I thought it was closer to $6500 as I remember the total for all four of us being being $25k...

just a little advice... if you get the choice on where to get the shots... always let them poke your but... those shots I hardly felt... the ones in the arms hurt for a couple of days... 8 total for me...

[JEB]

5. Easy money. I don't know why everybody

doesn't fucking rip people off like this. $18,000 is a years work for me.

[Aerows]

7. My mind is officially blown

I couldn't believe that bill. I was in the ER for maybe an hour, and then in the place getting the shots for about 5-10 minutes.

[Aerows]

8. Oh, and icing on the cake?

My insurance has refused to cover it. I'm officially fucked.

[rurallib]

9. I thought under the ACA they had to cover stuff like this

of course they must have exit doors every where.

[Aerows]

10. This is insurance before the ACA

I think I'm just screwed. If it was 4 or 5 thousand, I would handle it, no problem. I can't do 18,000 though.

[Warren Stupidity]

12. On what grounds?

[Aerows]

14. I'll get the letter

but it's something along the lines of an accident not covered because of intent. In other words, it is a catastrophic event, but still an act of God or something like that.

[Warren Stupidity]

15. Rabies is a 99.9999 fatal disease,

and speed of preventive treatment is essential. They really cannot deny coverage. You should seek help fighting this from whatever state office regulates insurance.

[Aerows]

16. If I knew this was coming?

$18,000?

I'd have let it be fatal. I will never again go to a hospital and "do the right thing". I'd rather die on the side of the road than deal with the horseshit I'm iin.

[JEB]

20. Send them $500 and a note saying

to fuck off. Probably not too good for the stupid credit rating numbers but good for the soul.

[jsr]

17. WTF. I know for a fact that Medicare covers rabies shots if you're bitten by a dog.

[Whisp]

11. !!!!

wtf!?

Aerows, I am so sorry! And your insurance won't cover? omg.

[Aerows]

13. My jaw has been on the floor since I opened both

$18,000. I spent maybe an hour in the ER, nothing special, didn't get anesthesia or anything, just horrible crap injected into my hand. I then spent about ten minutes for the next five shots.

Like I said, I'm stunned.

And yes, my insurance company is balking and refuses to pay.

[Sweet Freedom]

18. First make sure it was billed correctly

Billing companies use special codes (ICD-9) to submit bills to insurance. Sometimes, they will enter the wrong code, which results in your claim being rejected. (That happened to me when I took my daughter to the ER for a concussion. The billing company entered the wrong diagnosis and treatment codes, so her claim was rejected. Once I found the correct codes and submitted them on appeal, her claim was completely paid for.) So start there. You can look them up online.

Also, call other ERs and find out what the cost is for the same treatment, with and without insurance, then if there is a discrepancy, use that information in your appeal. Also, request your ER's assistance in getting the appeal through. The ER wants to be paid as much as you don't want to pay this bill, so they should help you, or perhaps even reduce some of your costs. Appeal the decision as many times as you are allowed. If the insurance company rejects your appeal, request an ombudsman.

If you lose, make sure to set up a payment agreement with the hospital and get it in writing. Many people think you can just pay five dollars every month for medical bills and that it's a valid payment, but that is not true. (Failure to pay a medical bill can really harm your credit, so if you need credit, it is in your best interest to work out a payment plan with the hospital.)

Good luck! Hope you get a better outcome!

[adirondacker]

19. Medical insurance companies ALWAYS look for a reason to decline a payment. When I worked as an

"approver" we scoured for anything on the bill for a reason to decline. Approvers are rewarded on how many claims processed per work day. The average was 100-125 claims per day. If you processed less, you were terminated.

The advice I can offer you is make sure you have a legitimate diagnosis from the Dr. that performed the services.
and make sure the services are Not treated as "preventative medicine". Also make sure EVERYTHING is filled out correctly. Signatures, diagnosis, treatment, dates. If there are questions call the ins company, but don't offer up any incriminating statements. Make sure you document the person you spoke with and time and questions posed.

They are probably denying you coverage for "preventative medicine", when in it should be covered as "treatment and follow up treatment for raccoon bite". Bring this to the attention of the Dr's office or ER that performed this, and they should be able to correct the information.

You should be able to push this through Aerows. Sorry to hear that you have to go through this and best wishes.

[belcffub]

23. not sure where you are from

but in NY if your insurance does not pick it up the state does... our insurance did pay for it... good luck

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. Of course they are, good that you now agree

They vary from hospital to hospital and even at times within hospital chains.

There is no rhyme or reason to them. And what do you mean it is not covered by insurance? It is hardly experimental

A call to insurance commissioner might be in order, and I mean the actual person, not the staff... also contact your local media, they might take the story. PR and especially bad PR is something they like.