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AlwaysOptimism t1_jbdjvxj wrote

One time e got a bill from quest diagnostics for like $3,500 because something wasn’t covered and blah blah they wouldn’t budge.

I called customer service and was ripping them about how ridiculous it was and there’s no way it cost that much to run a test and they wouldn’t budge and I finally just threw my hands up and said “well I can’t pay it” and they said “ok well we can put you on a payment plan.”

I said, “fine I’ll pay $1 a month for 3,500 years” frustratingly, and the girl on the other end of the phone said “well we have to do at least $5”. So I paid $5 a month for like 4 years until eventually quest just canceled the debt

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oldDotredditisbetter OP t1_jbdlmt5 wrote

> I said, “fine I’ll pay $1 a month for 3,500 years” frustratingly

haha! that's clever, hopefully i won't have to go there lol

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oldDotredditisbetter OP t1_jbddaai wrote

The bill already says something like

hospital fee ........... $XXXXXX
physician fee .......... $XXXXXX

is this considered "itemized"? We already contacted the hospital billing dept(didn't mention the part about itemized bills, only asked if we can bring the bill down and they said to contact insurance lol) is it time to contact the hospital again to ask for "itemized bill" or it's time to contact the insurance?

thanks

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derKestrel t1_jbde8e6 wrote

An itemized bill would list the doctors fees and the fees/cost for their procedures (e.g ultrasound, stethoscope survey of chest, consultation) as well as cost of items(syringes, x ray photo platters poor data carriers, disinfectant, OP gown, tubes, non-reusable items) in complete detail.

This makes it less easy to bill you a 10 cent plastic piece for 100$, which they could hide else e.g. under hospital infees.

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oldDotredditisbetter OP t1_jbdeeyu wrote

thanks! sounds like i should ask the hospital for this and not the insurance

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kmaco79 t1_jbhv1oa wrote

You should compare both the itemized bill from the hospital and your insurance EOB. If you went to a hospital that is in your insurance network, the hospital bill should match the insurance EOB’s “amount you owe”. If there are some things that are not be covered by insurance, you can still try to get the hospital to charge you for the “network fee” and not their overinflated fee.

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rededelk t1_jbdfv5s wrote

Yes, details report, just ask and you can get a date and time of that $10 Tylenol pill they are charging you for and everything else. Been there, done that including calling them and negotiating (calmly)

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Kickboxr73 t1_jbfvk4t wrote

if all else fails, my insurance denied 2 of my surgeries totaling over $33k. I applied for financial aid from the hospital and surgical center. After I submitted my paperwork (bank statements, W2, that stuff) they called and said I qualified for aid and " we're going to cover 100% of your bill". Thats always an option, hospitals have grants and all sorts of programs to help

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keepthetips t1_jbdd565 wrote

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thesnapening t1_jbddixz wrote

A itemised bill will be a break down of the cost of everything in detail. Like say you had surgery in will say the cost of anaestheic, post op care, food you ate etc.

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