@yahsrule Third on this. I work as a claims coordinator for an insurance company, and this is the best way to go, imo. Sometimes providers try to get away with all sorts of things, and we are your best defence to make sure you are being billed appropriately. I spend lots of my day as the go between for customer service helping people and providers who say things that sometimes aren't actually true, (not saying it's purposeful at all. Billing mistakes are quite easily made).
Sometimes it hurts to question bills
- Thread starter boondocks777
- Start date
surreal_platypus
New member
@boondocks777 When I first got my bill it was $3.5k, and I was surprised to notice they hadn't billed my insurance. I sent them my insurance, positive it would help me, only to get a "fixed" bill for $5.8k.
Neither the hospital nor my insurance would budge. I could have paid it but opted for an extended payment plan because they did not offer any discount for paying in full (and the payment plans were no interest), and I would rather them wait to get their money after they screwed me over.
Neither the hospital nor my insurance would budge. I could have paid it but opted for an extended payment plan because they did not offer any discount for paying in full (and the payment plans were no interest), and I would rather them wait to get their money after they screwed me over.
boondocks777
New member
@surreal_platypus How is that legal?! It’s so infuriating.
surreal_platypus
New member
@boondocks777 I agree 100%. I'm so sorry you're going through this, but you're not alone. Paying for birth in the USA is a joke.
@surreal_platypus Not only do we pay but we also give up every right to proper care and bodily autonomy. Your baby is basically the property of the hospital.
brokenroad
New member
@surreal_platypus That is awful. It's one of the worst feelings to realize the insurance and hospital both don't give a damn.
@boondocks777 No advice, just solidarity. I've had multiple major billing issues with my health insurance. It's infuriating and time consuming to get things resolved.
@boondocks777 Are you eligible for Medicaid? Are you unmarried? I am a billing specialist for a large hospital.
@filiks YES! Your commercial coverage will be your primary. Medicaid will go back and pick up everything left over. Make sure you apply for the baby now. They will back date their prenatal appointments up to 3 months. Message me if you have any questions and I can go more in depth! I work for one of the largest children’s hospitals in the nations as their senior biller.
tinilildiva
New member
@mo3b I have a question if you don’t mind answering, if possible. I have Medicaid because my previous job didn’t offer health insurance. My current job does and I got insurance through them and was able to add my partner as my domestic partner. We are not married, just live together. I haven’t used my Medicaid as I’m worried that they’ll see I live with my partner. Am I still be able to use my Medicaid as my secondary if in my primary insurance I have a domestic partner listed? Hoping this make sense. Thank you in advance!
@boondocks777 Don’t you love our wonderful healthcare system?
One of my coworkers got an outrageous bill for the neonatologist. Turned out the neonatologist was actually part of a group separate from the hospital and was out of network. It wasn’t like she had a choice to have that particular neonatologist see her baby either. They just came in to examine the baby after a brief period of complications. The phone number for the neonatologist group only had a voicemail box and no live person and never answered back so there wasn’t any way to dispute the bill with them.
God bless the USA!
One of my coworkers got an outrageous bill for the neonatologist. Turned out the neonatologist was actually part of a group separate from the hospital and was out of network. It wasn’t like she had a choice to have that particular neonatologist see her baby either. They just came in to examine the baby after a brief period of complications. The phone number for the neonatologist group only had a voicemail box and no live person and never answered back so there wasn’t any way to dispute the bill with them.
God bless the USA!
@sherryr0 I literally called the L&D department months before my delivery to ask if anesthesiology and neonatology were part of a separate group, then called my insurance to see if they were in-network. Anesthesiology was but neonatology was not. Called again to confirm two weeks before my delivery because the ER docs and hospitalists had just become a separate group that weren’t in-network anymore.
boondocks777
New member
@marisela I think that’s illegal now but depending on when her service was it might not qualify. The law took affect in 2022.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health...rprise-medical-bills-and-what-it-doesnt-cover
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health...rprise-medical-bills-and-what-it-doesnt-cover
@boondocks777 She delivered beginning of last year so I doubt it.
venutianpunk
New member
bluestarsky
New member
@boondocks777 My baby only left my room for his pediatrician to evaluate him and for the nurses to give him a bath. His bill was $9k too. He did not need blood, or oxygen. They did do blood work two times. But he was charged 5k just for the room. That he shared with me. Hospital billing is a scam. They charge it because if someone has insurance or Medicare, they get paid that amount.
@boondocks777 They can charge you for nursery even if the baby stays in your room. As another poster mentioned, it’s for staff, supplies, and monitoring. If your baby needed Q4H checks for example, the level would go up.