Just saw my hospital bills!

It is all funny money...the US system is completely broken. The only ones that actually get charged those inflated rates are unfortunately the people who don't have insurance or gov't care (like Medicare/Medicaid).

Doctors and insurers haggle with each other all the time, so my advise to anyone without insurance in the US is don't be afraid to call up a billing office and negotiate --especially with a hospital-- remember they're sometimes getting 20 cents on a dollar (or less) from the insurers, so they're used to it. And do it right off the bat -- call them, say I can't pay this amount, but I can pay this (smaller) amount.

The worst they can do is say no, and many will take the "deal" rather than potentially have you default on the bill. Remember, if they send you to collections, the agency gets a cut of anything that's collected, so it's still in their interest to settle directly with you. What a mess...this is why I have tums at my desk.

My brother is a doctor. He hates managed care and would agree with you that the system is broken. What amazes me is that with my surgery, the surgeon - who frankly did the hard part and the most complicated - got one of the smallest fees. The hospital charged out the yin-yang- makes me thing of govt military contracts and those thousand-dollar toilet seats!

Hubby's aortic valve replacement was $750,000. That includes 12 days in the hospital; 14 if you count the extra 2 days he had to spend there because he collapsed afterwards at home. Good thing for insurance. It was all covered.

Originally Posted by butzie

Hubby's aortic valve replacement was $750,000. That includes 12 days in the hospital; 14 if you count the extra 2 days he had to spend there because he collapsed afterwards at home. Good thing for insurance. It was all covered.

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Aortic valve replacement? Did he have stenosis? How old a man is he? Wow....

Originally Posted by butzie

Hubby's aortic valve replacement was $750,000. That includes 12 days in the hospital; 14 if you count the extra 2 days he had to spend there because he collapsed afterwards at home. Good thing for insurance. It was all covered.

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Whew! So it was similar surgery, just the extra days in hospital that cost the extra $500,000! The hospitals aren't THAT good! You'd think for that price they'd at least get you some decent food.

Originally Posted by AddieBee

Aortic valve replacement? Did he have stenosis? How old a man is he? Wow....

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Age doesn't matter when it comes to the heart! I'm 27 and needed an aortic root replacement. The guy in the ward opposite me was 37 and was getting a valve replacement! There's a lot of genetic conditions that cause deterioration of the heart.

Wait a minute...are you telling me that if you don't have health insurance, you would be responsible for paying that!?!?! That is RIDICULOUS.

Thank god we have a different healthcare system or I would go broke if I got sick!

Originally Posted by sarahp

Whew! So it was similar surgery, just the extra days in hospital that cost the extra $500,000! The hospitals aren't THAT good! You'd think for that price they'd at least get you some decent food.



Age doesn't matter when it comes to the heart! I'm 27 and needed an aortic root replacement. The guy in the ward opposite me was 37 and was getting a valve replacement! There's a lot of genetic conditions that cause deterioration of the heart.

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Ah, that's true. Didn't think of that. My mom has aortic stenosis and her docs are tossing the S-word around. It is contributing to her congestive heart failure... but sheesh - she is 83 almost 84 years old. I think surgery would likely kill her before the sticky valve.

Wow that's a horrible bill!! Thank goodness for insurance!

I never found out the total of the medical bills from when my SIL had her stroke and brain clots. She had 2 surgeries just a few days apart, ICU and I thought she was in hospital over 8 weeks. Then of course hospitalized again when nursing home messed up.
Sad thing is the day this orginally happened they had just changed health insurance as they were on COBRA!! But I think medicare/medicaid is covering her now.

To all,
Hubby is not that old, which is why he had to have an artificial valve. The bovine ones only last 15 years. He had a heart mummer all his life so eventually they said that he would have to have the valve replaced but we didn't expect it to be so soon.
I forgot that the bill includes the emergency pacemaker they had to put in when he collapsed at back-to-school night at our daughter's high school. Two collapses in 2 weeks - not fun.
Yeah, we probably would have had to pay it without insurance. We would have had to sell the house.

WOW!!!!! Well, i'm sure you're glad you had medical coverage!
If anyone's like me who complains each time the medical insurance bill comes....we all should think twice about the "what if's".

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

Wait a minute...are you telling me that if you don't have health insurance, you would be responsible for paying that!?!?!

That is RIDICULOUS.

Thank god we have a different healthcare system or I would go broke if I got sick!

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Unfortunately that is how it is in the USA. If you don't have the funds to cover the procedure you likely won't even get the procedure because you can't afford it and you would die.

Those who mortgage their homes etc, often end up losing everything and going bankrupt. Even having a baby will cause you to go into mega debt if you don't have insurance.

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Unfortunately that is how it is in the USA. If you don't have the funds to cover the procedure you likely won't even get the procedure because you can't afford it and you would die.

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That is true with "for profit" hospitals, but not the "not for profit" hospitals (I just looked it up to make sure). I work for a "not for profit" hospital, but they have "for profit" hospitals associated with them (it's the biggest hospital system in WV). The hospital that I work at does not turn people away simply because they do not have insurance so we end up turning certain patients away simply because too many people show up and we do not have enough facilities. We cannot turn any traumas away because it is the only Level I trauma center in this area (and I think in WV at this point).

Holy Crap! That makes my Mom's bypass surgery sound like chump change (even though hers was back in 96 or so)
She told me that they itemized everything, too, down to the smallest things like tape for bandages, which we thought was strange.

My dad was in the hospital several times for long periods!


The first time was 81 days in the surgical ICU! Totaled just under $900,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank goodness for insurance!

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

If you don't have the funds to cover the procedure you likely won't even get the procedure because you can't afford it and you would die.

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My BIL recently had to have his appendix removed. No health insurance and certainly no money to pay for that. State funding stepped in to help finance it into payments and get some of the price knocked off.


I don't even want to see what my bills are going to be. A person could stay a night in a 5 star hotel for a lot less and at least have a halfway comfortable bed.
As for the food...I don't suggest eating hospital food at all, I doubt it's even edible. The stuff I was being brought wouldn't have been good for me at all - too much dairy.


If you're still on Cigna, good luck. They've always dragged their feet a little over the large bills we've sent their way.

My Dad had to pay 3000 for his Hospital Room and Triple Bypass in 2005. Good most was covered. MY Husbands Chemo and Hospital stay for 3 Weeks in 2005 was almost 1 Million Dollars and we didnt have to pay hardly anything. H eis very worried now because they say he has to switch to Blue Sheild or Blue Cross Feb 1 He has been on Kaiser.

Originally Posted by pkyswt2

The first time was 81 days in the surgical ICU! Totaled just under $900,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank goodness for insurance!

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Geesh! The ICU stay alone would send me bonkers... The poor nurse got sick of me asking what the time was every 15 minutes because I couldn't turn my head to see the clock, and I couldn't sleep. Longest night of my life.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

If you're still on Cigna, good luck. They've always dragged their feet a little over the large bills we've sent their way.

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Cigna has been great for us so far. I had a hospital stay for the c section and had no dramas then, or with anything related to the heart condition so far. Although I'm sure they'll be arguing with all their might to pay as little as possible

And i was pissed that my hospital fee was 700 Euros with out health insurance!

I will not complain!