I can never figure out those medical bills I get.

[safeinOhio]

Seems like at least 4 different ones for everything I get done. I'm 70, so I have lots of doctors. Nothing serious, but always something. A CT scan here, a blood test there and on and on.
Kind of pisses me off. How about one bill and explain what it's for. So, to screw with them, I always round up so they will owe me and screw up their books at the end of the year.

I think it just paid off, they sent me a check for $158.39 yesterday. No explanation with it. It is the end of the year and they must want to balance their books for the last couple of years. I've been smiling all day.

[napi21]

1. I suggest you round down & see what they do. The remaining balance would be under $1.00.

I was an accountant before I retired. All the calculations are now done by computer so it doesn't make any additional work for anyone. When the customer has a credit balance, you always send them a refund. But when there is a very small balance, most companies will just write it off because it costs more to bill for it (paper, print time, envelope, & postage) than the value.

Of course, if they only do this once a year, you'll likely get a bill, especially if the amount is around $158.39.

[cyclonefence]

2. I like the idea of rounding up

What pisses me off is when I get a bill without any indication that they've received anything from my insurance company. Then I have to search to see what Aetna's paid recently. If they haven't, I have to copy my insurance card and sent the bill back to the biller. In the meantime I will probably get another bill, and my credit rating begins to sink (not that I care--I'm too old to buy anything anyway). Still no indication that they've submitted the bill to Aetna, still no notice from Aetna that they've paid anything. I end up on the phone (grrrr) on hold for an hour, to talk to a real person. Do you know what the last one told me to do? Go over to the hospital and show them my insurance card. Well, I live pretty close to the hospital (a conscious decision when we bought this house) so I went over there. The office there told me that no one had my insurance information. I showed her my card. Bingo stingo--bill all gone.

What a pain in the ass.

[Ohiogal]

3. We need single payer.

[yellowdogintexas]

4. for every diagnostic procedure there will be a bill for the test itself

and a bill for the MD who does the interpretation. This is true for both radiology and pathology/lab bills.

If you have surgery, there is a facility fee, the surgeon's fee, the anesthesiolgist's fee and if you were admitted via ER, the ER physician's fee if he isn't a hospital employee.

It's a stupid mess, when it comes to the billing but all these services are essential for your treatment.

As a retired medical claims analyst (40+ years), I can tell you that the providers (especially facilities) will bill very quickly before the insurance has had time to process it. If it were me, I'd check with the insurance company to see if they have the claim and ask for its status. Sometimes this can be found online, but if the website does not offer that then call their customer service as they may be able to track it down. These days everything is scanned or electronically transmitted so claims are much easier to track back when everything was paper.

To avoid hassle from the billing entity, send them a small amount so they at least know you got their bill and that you intend to pay something.

[Cousin Dupree]

5. You can't figure out those medical bills? That's exactly what they want.

[Ron Obvious]

6. I constantly suspect I'm being double-billed and overbilled

And also somehow my deductible never seems to get met or the charges don't apply to the deductible. I honestly can't figure it out anymore. We're being so absolutely flooded with data it's impossible to make sense of it all.

And we're with Kaiser, where everything is supposed to be in-house. So why isn't it simpler?

Last year we got a surprise extra $2,000 charge on our credit card which looked like a premium, but there was no explanation. "Well, it looks like a premium", Kaiser responded when asked, and they keep promising to get back to me but never do.

I've absolutely no doubt this is all intentionally confusing.

Single payer now! I've had healthcare in other countries. The care here isn't better, but the costs are astronomical.

[safeinOhio]

7. Thanks, I'm glad

I'm not the only one.

[Corgigal]

8. You're not alone.

My husband gets weird medical bills. I use to call but have given up.

Now I don’t pay them for 6 months and watch the numbers change. They will charge less, let them sweat.

[Skittles]

9. legalized extortion

what other industry is allowed to get away with such shoddy billing practices?

[Orrex]

11. Oh, it's absolutely extortion.

How many billions do you suppose are overspent yearly by victims who simply don't have the knowledge, expertise, resources, and time to argue every dubious or duplicated charge?

[Skittles]

12. or people who just get tired of fighting

I cannot imagine what it is like for a person, say, battling cancer and having to be on the phone doing that crap - it is SOOOO wrong

[Orrex]

10. "Shop around for the best price before undergoing a procedure," they say.

"Okay, how much will it cost?" I ask.

"Oh, we can't tell you until you undergo the procedure," they answer, "and for that matter we won't tell you if it's covered until afterward. But be sure to shop around. America!"

[Skittles]

13. yes

they act like the price we are quoted is the one they will bill us