>>Even the Insured Feel the Strain of Health Costs<<
John -
Good article.
I can attest to the truth of that headline. I have been getting some very nasty medical bills. One particularly nasty one just came in a month ago, for radiation therapy I received during my first bout with cancer, in the fall of 2006. Don't ask me why they waited so long to send it to me. The bill was for almost $10,000.
I contacted the medical group in question, and told them that the bill should have been submitted to the insurance company I was covered by at the time. They went ahead and submitted it.
On Friday, I got a statement showing that my insurance company had paid a bit less than 3/4 of the bill, leaving me on the hook for about $2,600.
I called the insurance company and pointed out that I had met my out-of-pocket maximums for that year. They said, yes, but the amount billed in this case was above the "customary" amount that they allow for such services, so the balance was still mine to pay.
Kind of a nasty shock at this point. And it turns out that a lot of the bills that are coming in for my current and recent treatments are above the allowed amounts, so I'm going to be expected to pay those excess amounts, too, even though I've already met my out-of-pocket max for this year.
I will negotiate with the providers and see what I can work out. If I'm lucky, I will not be forced to declare bankruptcy this year.
- Allen |
