Tai Boxley needs a hysterectomy. The 34-year-old single mother has uterine prolapse, a condition that occurs when the muscles and ligaments supporting the uterus weaken, causing severe pain, bleeding and urine leakage.
Boxley and her 13-year-old son have health insurance through her job as an administrative assistant in Tulsa, Okla. But the plan has a deductible of $5,000 apiece, and Boxley's doctor said he won't do the surgery until she prepays her share of the cost.
His office estimates that will be as much as $2,500. Boxley is worried that the hospital may demand its cut as well before the surgery can be performed.
"I'm so angry," Boxley said. "If I need medical care, I should be able to get it without having to afford it up front."
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18 comments:
Although these stories may have some truth, they are embellished to make for a more interesting read. No emergency room or doctor working in an emergency room in the United States can refuse a patient surgery if it's a medical emergency and a ruptured appendix qualifies as that. This story is at least partially bogus.
There are several issues this article fails to address.
First off, lets take the urgent care center.
They want full access to your credit card or checking account to take money as they see fit and then you have to fight to get it back. Even when they took too much. They make you sign a paper saying they can do what they want to your money.
This has also happened at a PRMC doctor facility.
I pay my copay in cash and give them no financial access.
One time I showed up for an appointment with nothing but a credit card and they said either cash or check, we will wait for you to go get it.
So now you know, its IS all about money. They really do not give a flip about ya.
6:18, you re right. It's a fluffed up story. People have always used emergency rooms as free health care.
Unless your illegal
Should doctors and centers just do the care for free--most patients do not pay their bills after the procedure. That is the absolute truth. Doctors have to pay their staff, rent, equipment, supplies, etc--they can't be doing all the care for free--that is called Bankruptcy... there is such a disconnect with the public that healthcare should not cost anything--
Someone has to pay--
Emergency departments cannot refuse treatment, so this appears to be another NPR embellishment to evoke empathy. So, here's an analogy for them: when you are at the checkout at the grocery store, would you ever ask the cashier to send you a bill? Food is also necessary, but we never expect to put it on deferred billing.
The crux of this issue is that healthcare inflation is rising at 3 times inflation rate, and the only way for companies to offer insurance is to choose high-deductible plans. So, now, healthcare providers must get that deductible/co-pay up front or risk not getting it at all. Yes, it's unfortunate but the new reality. Let's hope DJT can help fix it.
7:27 AM you are a big part of the problem with the lies and fake news.
This is the biggest BS - "most patients do not pay their bills after procedures"
If hospitals did not charge the uninsured 10 times more than what they charge those with insurance I am sure the bills would be paid. It is beyond comprehension that medical centers think that someone without insurance can pay MORE than someone with insurance.
I worked in the medical field and for us only 1 out of 300 patients did not pay a bill, and we ALWAYS discounted for those without insurance.
This is the most outrageous lie that healthcare providers spew. It is shameful and treats every single patient that walks in the door as if they were a criminal.
Quest Diagnostics is one of the worst. They try and berate you into paying you copay upfront, then screw up your claim, takes them a year to fix it and then you have to fight for your money back.
They need to look up your account to see if you pay and treat you accordingly. I for one am tired of being treated like a thug over $30 when I have not even seen the doctor yet.
6:18 AM and your proof that it didn't happen is? People knowingly break the law all the time.
Not really a fluffed up story - know someone in Florida that needed surgery on knees and hip, they actually had to come up with money BEFORE surgery was done - true story.
7:33 AM Here I will bust your BS analogy
At least I GET my groceries before I am asked to pay.
In essence your comparison is lame because in reality you would have to pay as you walked in the door at the grocery store before you filled your cart and then fight with the grocer to get your money back because he charged you too much.
Try again.
Apparently the doctors don't consider it an emergency, yet. So you wait 3 months while you try to come up with the co-pay. Of course, you're sick and in pain, so you have to take time off. Your other bills aren't going down. In the meantime your condition keeps getting worse. Now 3 months of pain and suffering later it IS an emergency and you are no closer to being able to pay the deductible. But at least now, they have to do the surgery!
This is the problem with healthcare in this country that Obamacare was supposed to fix!
My family member had melanoma. Payment of their portion of the bills was required by both the Dr performing the surgery and the surgical facility. Over $2000.00. I have had many procedures at outpatient facilities, my portion of the bill was estimated and was required to be paid on the day of service. At an urgent care center, where I only have a $30 copay per my insurance, I was charged for every test and performed and the full cost of the visit and told the balance would be refunded to me after insurance sent them an EOB. The copay information can be verified by the facility via the internet at the time of servcice, yet they insisted on full payment. It took 7 weeks to get my money back. Labcorp insists on a credit card so they can bill at will , even though my policy states I have no copay/coinsurance for lab testing, this can also be verified via insurance website. So this is a very real problem. Of course I don't expect free healthcare but I expect to be able to use my insurance the way it is intended- with the copays that are set and accepted by participating providers.
Hurry up and swear him in for crying out loud before this idiot destroys the country.
9:17 AM Actually it against the provisions of their agreement with the provider to collect anything but the stated copay.
How they get away with it, I don't know, but they do. People do not know any better and sheepishly get in line and do as they are told instead of speaking up.
I bring my copay cash and state I do not have a credit card. There is nothing they can do about it and I know it. I have yet to be refused service because they know that I know they can't.
I do not give anyone free access to my money. It is not their right.
Everything you said is absolutely true and on target
Funny how healthcare is different.
Last time I went to grocery store or had an oil change, I had to pay prior and couldn't say "bill me later".
That's what happens when you have bad, or no, credit. And people have bad, or no, credit for a reason. They are known not to pay their bills. It it is not life threatening, hospitals have no duty to perform any surgeries without the means to pay.
I feel little sympathy or empathy of any health care worker, professional or otherwise. I have been in hospitals and doctor's offices in this area, and that's part of my reason for traveling out of state to seek QUALITY healthcare. We have SU and Wor-Wic training nurses, doctors from who knows where and I don't trust either.
If you don't have good insurance, (medicare patients are treated poorly as well even though healthcare providers are guaranteed payment although at a reduced rate), don't agree to expensive procedures whether you want or need them, they could care less about you.
Just like everything else, it's all about the money. (BTW, whatever became of the doctor's office that was raided for Medicare fraud?).
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Funny how healthcare is different.
Last time I went to grocery store or had an oil change, I had to pay prior and couldn't say "bill me later".
December 9, 2016 at 11:40 AM
I really hope you wrote that backwards and do not think anyone is dumb enough to believe that.
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