Feb 06, 2008 02:46 am Sorry to say this but $14k with a chopper seems cheap to me. My wife had outpatient surgery, in and out within 4 hours and it was $19k
UN FREAKIN BELIVEABLE!!!!!
Posted on Feb 06, 2008 12:29 am
Rob Stemple
The Czar of BS
Member Since: Dec 31, 2007
Hey guys! Many of you are aware of my family's troubles right now. If your not, my father-in-law has been involved in a horrible accident.
He had to air lifted to a hospital here in Philly.
We just received a bill from the Hospital of the university of Penn.
14,585.00!!!!!!!!!!!
With a small note at the end saying " I hope your feeling better."
Well, we were! Until we saw this bill!!!
Dear God, never get into an accident in Philly where you need to be air lifted!
We had no intention of buying the chopper!
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Feb 06, 2008 02:46 am Sorry to say this but $14k with a chopper seems cheap to me. My wife had outpatient surgery, in and out within 4 hours and it was $19k
Feb 06, 2008 08:35 am this was a car accident right? it goes on the insurance claim.... they bill you just to send it somewhere.
It costs that much because they know/assume you aren't the paying party... it goes to the insurance company of the person that hit him...and probably the owner of whatever property it occurred on. So have your lawyer deal with it... whose expenses are going to the insurance company too...
Feb 06, 2008 11:08 am Zek, you'll love this one. Pennsylvania is a no fault insurance state. What this means is that no matter what type of accident you are in, they always go to your insurance. Not the person at fault.
My father-in-law was hit by a car. Although he was not in a car. He was leaving a building, when an out of control car struck him.
So, PA looks to his personal car insurance to cover what Medicare leaves behind. After that is exhausted, then the insurance company steps in an advocate roll on your behalf. Only to recoup their losses. The rest is on you, and any other insurance you have.
Tony, sorry to hear that you wife needed surgery. I'm sure that the bill you received was just as shocking. For us, we question why he was medivacted in the first place. Since a hospital was only 5 minutes away from where the accident took place. Also, the chopper from start to finish, was only in the air 15 minutes.
I guess that they were charging 1,000.00 a minute.
Feb 06, 2008 01:57 pm After looking a bit
PA Code, Title 39, Ch 69.12a
basically urgent and and life threatening transports are exempt from insurance limitations... and the decision rests on the ambulance crew.
in part 'b' the insurance provider is allowed to appeal... mainly by renegotiating the bill... or proving the ambulance crew mess up (badly).
looking at some lawyers notes it appears the big sticking point is that 'treatment' is paid for 'monitoring' is not. anything that is intended to improve the state of the patient is 'treatment' ...where monitoring is staying an additional day to make sure...
Feb 06, 2008 02:04 pm Wow Zek, did you do paralegal work? As soon as I find out who his insurance agent is I'll definitely hand over the bill to him. Thanks!
Feb 06, 2008 02:04 pm Yikes, Rob, sorry to hear about the whole ordeal. The whole thing sounds ridiculous!
Feb 06, 2008 02:08 pm Rob, Zek has a wealth of experience in multiple areas of interest like this...the dude is a virtual warehouse of odd information that never ceases to amaze me...
HRC without him and forty and their pelthora of knowledge in odd spaces would be much less of a community...and somewhat annoying at times. :-D
Feb 06, 2008 02:09 pm I spent 8 years as a Army Reserve Paralegal...mostly doing substance abuse... err... working on drugs.... cases... :)
Feb 06, 2008 02:19 pm You have no idea coolo. Let just say, that the layers are going to be my friends for quite sometime.
Feb 06, 2008 02:25 pm I got an ambulance ride once, and the cost was something like $1,000 if I remember right... Luckily my health insurance at the time covered it. But now I know, and since i no longer have health insurance, I know to avoid the ambulance if at all possible.
Feb 06, 2008 11:13 pm Yep, Tuna took one about a year ago, ambulance ride that is. $7500.00 smackers for less then a 10 minute drive to the hospital. And no real care administered.
Sorry to hear about the ordeal getting another slap up. As zek stated you have legal rules on your side so hopefully it will all work out.
Feb 07, 2008 12:13 am Thanks Noize. I tell ya, this whole medical system is just insane! Between this outrageous bill, and the constant change of medical staff. Compounded with the power of attorney, and dealing with his administrative activities, and other family members. I'm thinking of finding a deserted island somewhere.
All I can say, is thank God for our lawyer's! We just hired them the other day. Now when we feel overwhelmed, we just turn to them. Let them deal with the nonsense. And these guy's, they are the type of lawyer that you just watch everyone around you kind of straighten up a little when they enter the room.
Gotta love that. looking at people, and saying, Ya, that's right. They work for me!
Feb 07, 2008 02:26 pm I'm so sorry to hear you're going through all that stuff, Rob. Hope everything comes around for you all.
I know of a guy who is an epileptic. He wears a bracelet that specifically says "I'm an epileptic: If I have a seizure don't call an ambulance unless you're prepared to pay for it..."
I guess he got caught a few times on that one. He'd have a seizure, good samaritan calls 911 and gets an ambulance, he's landed with a $1000 invoice. If someone airlifted him he'd be pissed!
When my daughter was born (16 years ago), the itemized bill came from the hospital:
Band-Aid - $12.00
Alcohol swab - $9.00
Cotton ball - $4.50
Pitcher of ice - $18.00
that doesn't include the syringe and blood test vial.
Don't ask about the emergency c-section, anesthetist, post-natal emergency team, etc....
Oh, and the meals. They did put together a delightful (non-alcoholic)champagne dinner for me and my wife (now ex). Had I taken her to a "nice" restaurant, and had real champagne it would have been cheaper. Nice touch, though.
Luckily the insurance covered it all. The insurance company says to the hospital, "No, a cotton ball is worth $0.50 and that's all your getting..."
etc.
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