More from CafeMom: Mom Thought Her Kid Was Just Being Dramatic — Until X-Rays Proved Her Wrong The user notes this chart shows the total amount billed to the insurance company, and doesn’t reflect what will be covered by insurance or paid out of pocket. It also doesn’t include $1,800 the user had to pay when his wife was discharged. “They tried to charge me around $3,500, if I remember correctly,” he wrote. “But I insisted on paying ’the lowest payment accepted’ at the time, which was ~$1,800.” Renee Martin, a mom who spoke with the New York Times, said that when she called her hospital asking for an estimate of labor costs, they gave her “a range of $4,000 to $45,000.” She said, “It was unreal. I was like, How could you not know this? You’re a hospital … I feel like I’m in a used-car lot.” So while the problem may not go as far as hospitals adding things on and “hoping nobody notices,” as one commenter stated, there absolutely is an issue stemming from these line-item charges and the ways insurance companies and patients are left to make sense of confusing bills and negotiate huge fees for even the most basic items. If you’ve ever looked at your hospital bill and wondered why it’s so huge, this may be the reason. You aren’t alone in your confusion, and you certainly wouldn’t be alone in thinking there has to be a better way.
title: “C Section Bill Shows What S Wrong With The Way Hospitals Charge For Birth” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-09” author: “Kimberly Irvin”
More from CafeMom: Mom Thought Her Kid Was Just Being Dramatic — Until X-Rays Proved Her Wrong The user notes this chart shows the total amount billed to the insurance company, and doesn’t reflect what will be covered by insurance or paid out of pocket. It also doesn’t include $1,800 the user had to pay when his wife was discharged. “They tried to charge me around $3,500, if I remember correctly,” he wrote. “But I insisted on paying ’the lowest payment accepted’ at the time, which was ~$1,800.” Renee Martin, a mom who spoke with the New York Times, said that when she called her hospital asking for an estimate of labor costs, they gave her “a range of $4,000 to $45,000.” She said, “It was unreal. I was like, How could you not know this? You’re a hospital … I feel like I’m in a used-car lot.” So while the problem may not go as far as hospitals adding things on and “hoping nobody notices,” as one commenter stated, there absolutely is an issue stemming from these line-item charges and the ways insurance companies and patients are left to make sense of confusing bills and negotiate huge fees for even the most basic items. If you’ve ever looked at your hospital bill and wondered why it’s so huge, this may be the reason. You aren’t alone in your confusion, and you certainly wouldn’t be alone in thinking there has to be a better way.
