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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 2 of 2. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by AMD on June 15, 2005, at 13:49:39
I have a question about something that happened a year and a half ago.
I was out drinking with some friends, and had a bit too much and basically passed out on the couch at a bar. They couldn't wake me up, even though my vitals were OK.
Rather than help me home, the bartender insisted on calling a ambulance to take me to the hospital, at which point they gave me a CT scan (all normal), a thiamin IV, and a bed. I woke up the next morning to a diagnosis of "alcohol intoxication" and a recommendation of "don't drink to excess."
I didn't have insurance.
They billed me more than $5,000 for these services.
Is it me, or is that unreasonable? I have paid the CT scan bill as well as the labs. But the remainder is in hospital and ambulance bills that I stopped payments on in April. (I was paying $100 a month, and something like 80% of that was interest!)
I feel like I'm paying $5,000 for what amounted to a night in a hotel.
What I want to know is, do I have any legal options here? Do hospital bills affect one's credit? Are they treated differently than other debts?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
amd
Posted by Racer on June 17, 2005, at 20:28:52
In reply to Hospital bills for uninsured, posted by AMD on June 15, 2005, at 13:49:39
> I didn't have insurance.
>
> They billed me more than $5,000 for these services.
>
> Is it me, or is that unreasonable?If you're in the US, you -- as a self-pay patient -- are billed at the basic rate for everything. Any insurance company, though, will be billed a fraction of that basic rate. In that sense, yes. Those fees are unreasonable.
> I feel like I'm paying $5,000 for what amounted to a night in a hotel.
Unfortunately, you actually spent the night in the hospital, which incurred big bills. It may feel as though you didn't get any more benefit than a hotel, but that ain't the point.
>
> What I want to know is, do I have any legal options here?You do have options, but fewer of them now than if you had taken care of this whole thing at the time it happened.
>Do hospital bills affect one's credit? Are they treated differently than other debts?
Nope, they're not treated any differently on your credit history: they're still unpaid bills. They can still go to collections and show up on your credit report.
>
> Any advice would be much appreciated.
>
> amdNow that I've given you the bad news, here's a suggestion about how you can try to work things out. Again, this would have been a lot easier if you had dealt with it when this happened, but see what happens if you call now and try.
Call the hospital, explain that you were transported by ambulance to the ER while unconscious, and kept overnight for observation. Tell them that you were uninsured, that your income was [x] at the time, and that you've been trying very hard to pay off the bills, but that it's a hardship for you, and can they adjust the bills, at least reducing or writing off the interest charges involved? Then try the same thing with the ambulance company. The bad news is that ambulance companies, at least those here in California, are much less willing to make payment arrangements than hospitals.
You can also call the local Health Department, ask about coverage in your area for uninsured adults, and see if anyone there can help you work something out to get these charges reduced. Or call around to local non-profits that serve the mentally ill, substance abusers, or the medically indigent; and see if anyone else can help you make payment arrangements that are to your benefit.
Good luck.
This is the end of the thread.
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