I hate Dr's and debt collectors

[MIB41]

Never go to the hospital if you don't have insurance

Next time i'm gunna just let whatever happens happen and sit it out ... if I die I die.

Better than worring about the aftermath when the bills start coming in.

My brother lived with that philosophy. He also died with it. He was only 59, but didn't have any insurance. No matter what we did to put him on assistance programs, he was too jaded by his views of the "system". He didn't get much on his return. Someone who was typically very strong and healthy most of his life, spent the last ten years of his life immobile in front of a computer with swollen feet and super high blood pressure. He died face down in a pool of his own blood when he stroked and collapsed face first on
the floor. My mom (who is 78) found him. It took me 15 large towels with peroxide to get all that crap off the rug where he fell. I didn't find any nobility or honor in that mess. If you need to see a doctor, there are scores of programs that can get you to one. Don't set aside your health by broad stroking "the system". Your life counts more than money. If you don't want to do it for yourself, do it for your family or friends, so they can be spared the pain of having to find you.

[Shanester]

My wife is pregnant and due the first week of July. The bills have not stopped coming in since our first OB visit. Luckily, I am insured so 3/4 is covered, but I feel your pain Mike. Hang in there pal.

Considering what I pay a month for insurance, it should all be covered and I should get a kiss when they are done with me...

[wayne foundation 07]

Its a scam either way,we pay a boat load of cash at work just to have insurance,with the deductable being so high we hope like heck we never have to use what we are paying for.Send them a couple bucks each week just to make it look like your trying.The worst thing you could do is just ignore it.

[Fire Marshal Bill]

Its a scam either way,we pay a boat load of cash at work just to have insurance,with the deductable being so high we hope like heck we never have to use what we are paying for.

Ain't that the dang truth!

[noelani72]

Its a scam either way,we pay a boat load of cash at work just to have insurance,with the deductable being so high we hope like heck we never have to use what we are paying for.Send them a couple bucks each week just to make it look like your trying.The worst thing you could do is just ignore it.

yessir.
We too - and they keep cutting back and changing around our deductibles, co-pays, and prescriptions that it stings everytime.
Just isn't worth it unless heaven forbid it is some terrible cancer or something.

[AAAAA]

The problem ,being a medical provider is that Patients have the tendencey to treat us as a charity institution.
i send them a cost before i render treatment,my consultation is free.my prices are set by the goverement
most poeple do not read there policies

[Brazoo]

It makes sense that you guys pay a deductible just like any other type of insurance policy - but for some reason it never occurred to me. This whole thread is messing with my mind!

[david_b]

Mikey:

Terribly sorry to hear about this. I should start sellin' stuff and just sending you $$..

Keep the faith, brother.

david_b

[WannabeMego]

There are plenty of local organizations that can help with the medical bills and costs...you just have to hunt them down.

Even if your not religious, you should ask your local churches for advice...they tend to have a lot of that information available for perishers.

My mother-in-law (in her 70's) and my grand-mother (in her 90's) basically pay close to nothing on all sorts of treatments and $5 for every prescription. My mother-in-law gets it through a charitable organization from the State of NJ where you have to supply your annual income and expenses and my grand-mother gets assistance from legal aides who visit her complex once a month in NY.

The help is out there if you need it...it's just not overtly obvious.

Hope you get the help that you need.

[JDeRouen]

I know several doctors locally who will not take insurance. And because they don't have to deal with the insurance companies, they are able to charge less for their services.

[cjefferys]

It makes sense that you guys pay a deductible just like any other type of insurance policy - but for some reason it never occurred to me. This whole thread is messing with my mind!

Yeah, whenever I talk to my US co-workers about stuff like this, it's hard to wrap my head around the stuff they have to deal with and the money that they have to spend, things that I never have to even think or worry about up here. While the Canadian system is far, far from perfect, it's conversations like these that make me appreciate it a bit more.

[Adam West]

I am also dealing with this to some extent. I would highly recommend a comprehensive insurance plan first. The company I work for has one but it isn't very good. My daughter fainted a year or so ago, went through MRI's, CAT scans, blood work, etc at the ER only to find out that most of the providers didn't participate in my plan (I never thought to ask "am I covered" when you are going through an emergency). Now, I owe a few thousand dollars on top of my multi thousand insurance and am making payments on it. I figure something is better than nothing and although I was angry that the doctors involved "didn't participate"; I know they performed the services and have arrangements to pay them back

[cactus725]

the hell with it, if you can't pay it you can't....they can't turn you down if you don't have insurance, so go and the hell with them

My feelings exactly...they cant do a thing even to your credit score if you pay 10.00 a month!

[Brazoo]

Yeah, whenever I talk to my US co-workers about stuff like this, it's hard to wrap my head around the stuff they have to deal with and the money that they have to spend, things that I never have to even think or worry about up here. While the Canadian system is far, far from perfect, it's conversations like these that make me appreciate it a bit more.

I couldn't agree more!

[Brue]

The problem ,being a medical provider is that Patients have the tendencey to treat us as a charity institution.
i send them a cost before i render treatment,my consultation is free.my prices are set by the goverement
most poeple do not read there policies

i wish all doctors would provide costs ahead of time - the last time i visited the hospital i asked how much each procedure was and was met with looks like i was form another planet. -this was through the ER with one overnight at a large hospital where the left hand does not know what the right is doing i realize that outpatient i can get estimates that are in line with billing but the hospital was a joke. When I said I would not pay for services that were not transparent they were able to come up with prices. I told them what I would and would not accept based on need and cost. After the visit I owed to several different people - often for the same service. I called the hospital and reduced my 600+ bill nearly 50%. (Insurance covered the rest)

OH and Mikey you are correct insurance companies pay less for treatments BUT You CAN negotiate your bills. This is best done at the time of service though. Once you are in collections your best course is to set up a payment plan.

Also, ask to talk to social services at the hospital - often there is financial aid and charity work for lower income patients. in 92 I had no insurance and almost no income. one call to socila services in the hospital and one form later I had a 10,000 bill written off. don't shoot yourself in the foot -ASK

If you ask they might say no deal but you might get a break. If you don't ask you will not get a break.