> I got an eye roll, a lengthy and exasperated lecture...
This is the part that is galling to me. Apparently no healthcare worker I've ever spoken with about billing has ever had the same considerations I do re: finances. My inquiries have almost always been met with zero empathy and contempt that I would even be so gauche as to ask.
(It's 1000x worse when you're talking to them about your child's medical care. My daughter, at 3 y/o, had a short fall and received a small cut on her face. It bled profusely so we took her to the ER. We ended up with x-rays because I couldn't successful "negotiate" that we didn't want that. The shaming was intense.)
A family member had a procedure a few years ago. Provider told the patient that they had contacted their insurer and received confirmation it would be covered. Went ahead with the procedure.
Bill arrives and the insurer denies coverage. Provider says "oh well <shrug> you owe us $$$ now".
Since I am the resident argumentative asshole in the family I dig into the situation a bit. After many phone calls I am eventually told that the hospital routinely records all phone calls with insurance companies and furthermore has found the recording where they gave advance guarantee of coverage for the procedure.
At this point I realized we are being shaken down by a corrupt/criminal enterprise. Even with the recorded phone call the insurer refused to pay and so the patient had to pay off the $$$ over many months.
Similar situation with me and a procedure back in 2014. Practice took me on with my pre-ACA insurance. Post-procedure my insurer decided it was a pre-existing condition and didn't cover the procedure. For the practitioner, who went into the deal expecting the reimbursement rate from my insurer, it was a 10X windfall (and he refused to negotiate, citing that he was within his rights to demand the full fee).
I share the exasperation about the lack of empathy. I know these providers are humans and would ask the same questions. They probably negotiated their car, housekeeper over a few hundred dollars. But when I ask about $10k here or there for critical care suddenly I’m greedy or unrealistic?
This is the part that is galling to me. Apparently no healthcare worker I've ever spoken with about billing has ever had the same considerations I do re: finances. My inquiries have almost always been met with zero empathy and contempt that I would even be so gauche as to ask.
(It's 1000x worse when you're talking to them about your child's medical care. My daughter, at 3 y/o, had a short fall and received a small cut on her face. It bled profusely so we took her to the ER. We ended up with x-rays because I couldn't successful "negotiate" that we didn't want that. The shaming was intense.)