I went to urgent care with tightness in my chest. In network. The physician there gave me an EKG and based on the results, recommended I take an ambulance to nearest ER. They called the ambulance and I went. The closest ER was not in my network but at that point I just really didn’t want to die.
At the ER, they ran blood tests, X-rays, and another EKG. The doctor finally spoke to me and said all the tests were fine. He got a copy of my first EKG from urgent care and said it was fine to and he’s not sure why the first doctor recommended I come to the ER, but to be safe he gave me a chemical stress test. Everything came back ok. Turns out it was anxiety.
Total cost to me wound up being $15,000 (my out of pocket max for out of network treatment). That’s despite the fact that my insurance premium was around $200 a month through my employer.
Healthcare costs are a joke. I looked at an itemized statement for a routine outpatient NP visit when I thought I had a UTI a year ago.
I had recently started smoking again, the NP asked do you smoke, I told her yes I had been smoking again for about 2 months after 5 years of not. She asked do I want information on smoking or resources to quit. I said no, I’m a nurse and know the risks and already bought gum and was going to try quitting that weekend. She said “great”. About 25 seconds of a conversation....
You know how much that “smoking cessation” conversation cost? About $115.
I only paid a small copay for the visit out of pocket, but my insurance was charged for that “teaching”. Now, normally I don’t give a shit about insurance companies, but that charge was a lie and a scam. I called to complain and a month later I got a new itemized statement that no longer included a “smoking cessation conversation”. You’re welcome Aetna!
Aurora1717 on April 27th, 2020 at 22:40 UTC »
It's fairly routine to ask for an itemized bill if you are paying out of pocket.
Billy_T_Wierd on April 27th, 2020 at 22:57 UTC »
I went to urgent care with tightness in my chest. In network. The physician there gave me an EKG and based on the results, recommended I take an ambulance to nearest ER. They called the ambulance and I went. The closest ER was not in my network but at that point I just really didn’t want to die.
At the ER, they ran blood tests, X-rays, and another EKG. The doctor finally spoke to me and said all the tests were fine. He got a copy of my first EKG from urgent care and said it was fine to and he’s not sure why the first doctor recommended I come to the ER, but to be safe he gave me a chemical stress test. Everything came back ok. Turns out it was anxiety.
Total cost to me wound up being $15,000 (my out of pocket max for out of network treatment). That’s despite the fact that my insurance premium was around $200 a month through my employer.
psychosister50 on April 27th, 2020 at 23:04 UTC »
Healthcare costs are a joke. I looked at an itemized statement for a routine outpatient NP visit when I thought I had a UTI a year ago.
I had recently started smoking again, the NP asked do you smoke, I told her yes I had been smoking again for about 2 months after 5 years of not. She asked do I want information on smoking or resources to quit. I said no, I’m a nurse and know the risks and already bought gum and was going to try quitting that weekend. She said “great”. About 25 seconds of a conversation....
You know how much that “smoking cessation” conversation cost? About $115.
I only paid a small copay for the visit out of pocket, but my insurance was charged for that “teaching”. Now, normally I don’t give a shit about insurance companies, but that charge was a lie and a scam. I called to complain and a month later I got a new itemized statement that no longer included a “smoking cessation conversation”. You’re welcome Aetna!