Got my bill

[Chele]

It's been 6 weeks and 4 days since surgery, and i got my bill today. $188,699.50
LOL good thing they waited 6 and 1/2 weeks my heart may not have took it a while back.
My husband may let them repo me :eek2: LOL.

Michele

 

[nngbwh]

Most hopsital takes credit card or you can set up monthly payment.

 

[AgilityDog]

Oh, the fun I had watching the bills roll in, and watching the insurance company screw up the processing thereof! Getting it straightened out took 4 months, and nearly sent me back to the hospital. I can't tell you how many times I called one or the other party absolutely furious when they put "patient responsibility" and some exorbitant number. Once they denied the charges for room and board in ICU. Like what, I was supposed to stay at the Best Western??????

I am SOOOOOO looking forward to it again - NOT.

 

[Penny]

I feel so bad for you guys who live in usa, how is it that someone manages if they can't afford insurance? I don't get how one country can have a medical system in place and another just doesn't give a damn! Sorry guys this burns my hiney!

 

[vtbecca]

Wow, that's quite an amount! Like someone else we had a day in the ICU not covered. It was in the middle of Gabe's ICU stay. I guess he needed it the day before and the day after? Thankfully I had the preauth papers with the dates on them. It was crazy. And Penny, I have thought about possibly moving to another country to get universal healthcare. Between Gabe's heart and Liam's Chiari malformation we're limited in our options to employer sponsored plans. I lived in Canada in high school and loved it.

 

[Bina]

Getting a bill like that would definitely have given me a heart attack.....(with or without insurance coverage).

 

[Philip B]

Costs

Costs

Penny,

Medical costs aren't just a problem for those who don't have insurance in the U.S. It's a problem for folks whose employers provide inadaquate insurance for their employees as well.

Perspectives vary regarding health care... in Canada, health care is considered a right... in the U.S. it's treated as a profit generating business. Sure, people in the U.S. cannot be denied health care services if they can't afford it, but health care businesses cover the costs of those services by inflating what they charge those who can pay or have insurance.

For those in the U.S. who have decent insurance, these kinds of surgeries present little in the way of financial concerns; for those of us who don't it's more of a problem.

It's an interesting catch situation in the U.S. Somethings just aren't equal in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

-Philip

 

[Greg a]

And this is why Sarah Palin said that as a teen or as a newlywed her family crossed the border to take advantage of British Columbia s health care she is known to say that at the timethey felt no guilt about getting FREE care.

 

[Debbrn]

It takes money to keep a doctor's office and a hospital open. Free health care is not free. Someone has to pay. I also enjoy being able to pick my doc's and hospital. If I had not been proactive with my health care and self referred myself to a true ACHD doctor, I would be going into heart failure soon.

Debbie

 

[Jkm7]

.....................

 

[Ross]

First thing to do is, ask for an itemized statement of your account, then go over it with a fine tooth comb. I'm willing to bet there are charges on there for things that you never got. Once that's weeded out, then you can call William Shatner and Priceline.com and negotiate your price.

 

[Greg a]

Captain Kirk you say?

Captain Kirk you say?

first thing to do is, ask for an itemized statement of your account, then go over it with a fine tooth comb. I'm willing to bet there are charges on there for things that you never got. Once that's weeded out, then you can call william shatner and priceline.com and negotiate your price.

he has no idea cuz he is​

[video=youtube;eKLkmTz-kJw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKLkmTz-kJw[/video]​

 

[Philip B]

It takes money to keep a doctor's office and a hospital open. Free health care is not free. Someone has to pay. I also enjoy being able to pick my doc's and hospital. If I had not been proactive with my health care and self referred myself to a true ACHD doctor, I would be going into heart failure soon.

Debbie

Yes, and that's exactly the point. It's not free... in the U.S. we pay for those who can't by paying inflated prices. Canadian members may wish to correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe there are some elements of choice built into the Canadian system. Geez, if their system is really so terrible, why do we hear from so many Canadian members who've had positive outcomes with their valve replacement surgeries? Heaven forbid that we consider the problems that exist with health care in the U.S. and look at options to fix these issues.

-Philip

 

[Debbrn]

I'm not saying that our system is perfect. I don't want to give up the priviledge to have private health insurance. I have worked very hard for that priviledge.

Health care is also not free in Canada. Someone is paying for it.

 

[malibu82]

I got my surgery 5 weeks ago. My bill was $110,000.00 and luckily it's already been paid. I have Blue Cross Blue Shield. They usually pay pretty quickly. What type of insurance do you have Michelle? I'm sure most of it would be covered so try not to worry!

 

[jax]

As a Canadian citizen living in the U.S. and being able to compare both first hand. There is good and bad in both. And everyone is entitled on their opinion. My care was wonderful at the cleveland clinic. And I was fortunate enough of having good health insurance that allowed me to go to Cleveland Clinic as in-network. But I don't know how many hours I have wasted on the phone with the insurance company over one thing or another. You don't have to worry about that in canada. When you are sick or need an operation you see the doctor and you go home and get well. You don't have to spend hours on the phone getting furious with the health insurance company. And, I never was told that you had to go to a certain doctor or certain hospital. It was my choice who my doctor was. Yes, it may be harder to find a doctor, but you do have a choice. And maybe the healthcare system isn't perfect in canada but show me one country that has the perfect health care system. Some people would choose to have their private health insurance and that is their right to feel that way. I myself, having first hand knowledge of both systems would prefer the canadian health care system. When my son had leukemia and I was in Childrens Hospital in London, Ontario with him all the time, the care that he received was tremendous and except for his prescriptions I didn't have to pay for anything. And I could use my time to take care of my son and his needs and not worry about the medical bills that were coming in and figuring out where the money was coming from and focus all my attention on my son, the only place that it should be. Yes, the care that I got at cleveland clinic was tremendous also. However, dealing with the insurance company and fighting with them and having medical bills piling in as soon as I got home was definitely something that I would rather do without. You are busy trying to get well and stay well and then to have to spend your precious time on the phone with the insurance company arguing about one thing or another I think we could all do without. I say precious time because that is exactly what it is. Any second that we have is precious. And I would rather be spending my time on enjoying things in life than on the phone. So in my opinion and every one has their right to their opinion and choice. I would prefer the canadian healthcare system over the one I have now. But then I also have first hand experience with both. I am not trying to upset anyone. I am only stating what I believe and have experienced. Like I said there is good and bad in both systems. I have lived in both systems and the care in either country is wonderful. But the insurance companies have a strangle hold on everything here. And you have no choice but to sit on the phone for hours with them. To me that is part of the bad in this health care system.

 

[Greg a]

I'm not saying that our system is perfect. I don't want to give up the priviledge to have private health insurance. I have worked very hard for that priviledge.

Health care is also not free in Canada. Someone is paying for it.

You are so right on in saying that .........the employers here in Ontario pay the lions share as a portion of the payroll burden and the balance comes from federal transfer payments to the provinces. I have not worked since my odyssey began and therefore sadly have paid no taxes and not having an employer sadly have not been able to contribute that way either and even sadder I depend on the government for my modest disability pension.

I did have a choice of cardiac surgeons and as far as cardiologists I have refused two and very happy with the third. The first hospital I was in I spent four months in and got incredible care the second rehab hospital I did not like for a variety of reasons eg dietician that when God handed out brains she thought they said trains and ran the other way,,,,,,,sorry but it was bad when as a diabetic I recieved trays with sugar packets and as a heart patient with congestive heart failure my meal had processed meat tomato paste and salt packets.

On the other hand my wife never had to decide what it took to bring me out of the comas or what the cost was The only thing she had to agree to was to remove my sternum.

After 5.5 months of hospital care followed by 7 months of in home daily care I was discharged by the hospital services Then almost 4 months of cardiac rehab clinic and today I still attend a renal failure clinic where my nephrologist is, a diabetic clinic where my endocrinologist is , a heart function clinic for my cardiologist, the implant clinic where I see two Nurse Practitioners and then there is my General Practitioner who can and does refer me readily to any speciaist he deems right such as my podiatrist that I see every 8 weeks re diabetic footcare or the dermatologist I saw when having a drug related reaction.

I know that we pay for health care via taxes but again I must say that it costs me pennies on the goods and services that I buy that carry a provincial and a federal sales tax as I am forced to live off the labour of others (not at all proud of it either)

I have had a lot of choice and say in my care and am still recovering three years later

THEN MY GRAND DAUGHTER WALKS IN THE ROOM AND SHE WAS BORN 13 MONTHS AFTER THE LIFESAVING STERNECTOMY
The real miracle in all of this is the God given skills of every single one of our health care workers on either side of the 49th parallel

May God bless them and every one of you


please excuse any typing and spelling errors but it is 4:20 am and NOW I'll sleep
night all

funny I JUST noticed it says to post "Quick Reply" :eek2: yeah **** luck with that LOL

 

[Paleowoman]

I think what they charge you in the US is outrageous. I'm lucky that I'm in the UK and that I could have my heart valve replacement on the NHS at no personal cost, but I'm even luckier in that I have additional private medical insurance (comes with my husband's work) which means I'll get my op done privately - in luxury too - but still I understand that the cost for a valve replacement privately in the UK is around £28,000 or $42,000 (cost to the insurance company that is, I won't pay a penny) - considerably less than $188,000 ! So someone is the US is making an outrageous profit on this :eek2:

 

[Ross]

What you all are forgetting is, that is the billed amount. An insurance company won't pay that. In fact, they'll pay about 1/3 to 1/2 of that amount. The billed amount is meaningless!

 

[Paleowoman]

What you all are forgetting is, that is the billed amount. An insurance company won't pay that. In fact, they'll pay about 1/3 to 1/2 of that amount. The billed amount is meaningless!

Do you think that is the same in the UK ? I've seen some invoices for blood tests I've had done and then seen the settlement of the claim by the insurance company and they always pay up the amount on the invoice.