About to see how good my health insurance is

[Grumpyguy]

My health insurance allows you to see billing online and then when processed, what is paid and what you owe.

For my 5 day stay in early January for my CIDP, they charged $100,000! It is still processing, so I don't know what I owe yet.

Besides sticking me with an IV of admittedly expensive drugs for 6 hours a day, for 5 days, they really didn't do a hell of a lot besides a pill here or there and take my blood pressure.

Say a prayer the final result is bit lower

[M A V I C]

I'm waiting on mine for my surgery. It was about two hours and for that portion of it I think it was $35,000.

[GGD]

That's just the first offer "list price". The insurance company will pay based on their "negotiated rate". What you end up paying should be capped by your "Out of pocket maximum".

[GuyGene]

I know Grump. "Health care" in America causes more high blood pressure than anything! Anytime I get mail with health related mess, my heart starts pounding. Hate this mess! Hope it works out good.

[mattkime]

My fav part - when you get a bill 6-9 months later.

I DIDN"T KNOW THE RECEPTIONIST BILLED SEPARATELY

its as though doctors get to send their own bill because they went to school for so long. nowhere else would we put up with such silliness.

[lost in space]

Grump, here's some perspective. My last hospital bill was $40k, and my out of pocket was $1300. A previous one with a surgery was over $100k, out of pocket was $2000. In both cases, we arranged for payments so we didn't take such big hits on our bank accounts.

[space-time]

my October Anaphylactic Shock about 4-6 hour of HR and then another 18 hours Intensive care was billed at a little over $12.8k. The insurance (Cigna) had a negotiated rate with the hospital and reduced the amount to about $6.8K I already used about $1200 out of pocket before that, and with a maxium out of pocket of $6k, I had to pay the remaining $4800. Insurance paid the remaining $2000 immediately. I just got the $4800 bill 10 days ago, put in my HSA account number and sent it back, the hospital still didn't charge the credit card yet.

The ER doctor billed another $800 and IC doctor billed another $1k or a little more, which Cigna paid since I was over the 6k limit.

[M A V I C]

You had the cash in your HSA? I don't use a HSA because we would rarely use it, and if you don't, you lose it.

[Ombligo]

Senora Ombligo had a hospital stay in August that ran $150k, our remaining out of pocket was $3000, but I carry an additional hospital indemnity policy for $800/yr; it pays $3500 plus $30/day, so it sent me a check for $3740.

I made $740 on her stay and everything for the rest of the year was covered 100%.

(I know, I know.. I didn't figure the normal premiums into it - just let me feel like I got out ahead, okay?)

[graylocks]

M A V I C wrote:
You had the cash in your HSA? I don't use a HSA because we would rarely use it, and if you don't, you lose it.

i think you're confusing an HSA with the FSA (flexible spending account). FSA are use it or lose it. HSA are not. you can build it up as high as you want for as long as you want and it's always there for medical expenses.