I'm not sure if you read about our experience in the emergency room from hell, but the gist of the whole situation was that Lucien had an abrasion, which required no medical care, whatsoever.
Doctor: He doesn't need stitches. You can go.
Me: You don't have to do anything?
Doctor blithely rubs some ointment on Lucien's face, I'm pretty sure just to placate me.
Doctor: No. Nothing.
Well, it turns out that nothing costs $450.
It's in Lucien's name. God, I wonder how he's going to pay this? He better get himself a Baby Gap ad or something. I wouldn't want his credit to be ruined. I think I heard that dings on your credit report only go back 8 years, so by the time he's ready to buy a cool bike he should be okay.
Aww. His first debt. He's definitely a little American.
Is that not the most frustrating thing ever? That's why I loathe going to the doctor for anything, as I end up getting a bill for imaginary services that my insurance ignores and requires me to pay. Having children I imagine it's completely different--I would never NOT take them to the doctor if needed--but the premise is the same. It's ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy. His insurance dropped him with no notification to me 2 months ago. So of course, this happened during the insurance lapse. Of course.
DeleteOur insurance switched my sons ID number without notifying me or sending me new cards. So I got the bills for a few things. His last Doctor appointment/latest round of tests cost $11,573. Thankfully they covered it when I contacted them about it, but the bills were terrifying.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, some companies will backdate the coverage if you explain the situation to them. If they really just dropped you for something stupid (which I've had happen) They generally cover it if you mail the bills to them after it's fixed.
Oh no!! I am so sorry. :( Bills suck.
ReplyDeleteCall and set up a payment plan with the hospital , let them know how much you can pay each month. They will usually do this for you as long as you are paying they are good..
ReplyDeleteMy son drank a bottle of eyedrops. (I know. I'm a terrible mom.) We took him to the ER, of course. Now, this is the ER that I drove an ambulance for. And we still got a bill that was close to a $1,000! What did they do, you might ask? Oh, just observed him. No meds, no procedures, just observation. It's enough to make you scream.
ReplyDeleteThe worst part about the best ER in our neighborhood is that everyone bills you separately. They send you a bill for supplies, for the nurses, for the doctors, for radiology... I finally told them that everyone was getting $5/month until I stopped getting bills and they could live with it. And Emory wonders why they're losing money...
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