Reply #33: i'm so sick of hospitals [View All]

[ucmike]

i ended up at the emergency room in december for about 4 hours. i had some bloodwork, an ekg, an xray, consultation with a regular physician and a cardioligist. left there with no answers and a prescription for a radiological stress test at the cardioligists office. cost me $3600 which came out of my pocket as i have no insurance. the next day, with the same symptoms and a little internet research i went to a local walk-in got a diagnosis for lymes disease and a prescription for antibiotics. that cost me a $120 and took care of my problems.

i applied for a reduced payment plan with the hospitial as i was unemployed at the time and was turned down because i own a home. i tried to get a monthly payment plan but was told it would be at about 12% interest even if i paid it in two payments. so i coughed it up, tightened the budget and got through it.

so this f**king private hospital, which pays no property tax to my town, and just built a huge new wing through private donations and state and county grants has the balls to send out a monthly full color glossy magazine crowing about their dedication to public service and their positive impact on the community.

how about serving the community by providing affordable health care and emergency services and cut the PR budget? how about not spending money on glossy, monthly magazines sent out to thousands of homes who really couldn't give a shit and just throw it in the recycling? how about not charging an unemployed guy $2700 for 4 hours of laying in a bed hooked up to a machine no one was monitoring. (the balance of the bill was for the 2 docs, the xray tech, the blood tech who all got paid seperately.) how about not charging interest to people who are trying to pay their bills without going broke. HOW ABOUT PAYING PROPERTY TAXES ON THE LARGEST PRIVATE BUILDING IN TOWN -- A BUILDING THAT OPERATES AT A PROFIT YEAR AFTER YEAR?

i hope hospitals lose every lawsuit they are involved in until they change the way they do things.

end of rant.