Update

[lswote]

After waiting all day in considerable pain my wife finally had second surgery around 10pm.  Cleaned up a little infection, but nothing significant found, so more investigation tomorrow, though hopefully not another surgery.

Talked to fourth lawyer.  Same story as the rest.  Not enough damages to make a lawsuit worthwhile.

[DavidMN]

... in response to Update, posted by lswote on Jun 24, 2003

Bruce,

Hope things start looking up soon. I've admired your gumption since your first LAI visit in Aug or Sep. You're definitely one of those people that fall off their horse every once in a while but dust off their jeans and get back on.

Someone else responded about paying with plastic and I'd agree that cash is probably worth ~2% to the vendor.  As to the percentage of the original bill, if the hospital is already willing to accept 70% of "list" I'd say they're getting close. The Wall Street Journal has been running a series of articles about health care inflation and I've seen the figure of 55-65% of list as the actual price that Medicare, HMOs, large corp and govt groups pay. Insurance processing, floats, etc still eat up a portion that...so maybe the hosp. will accept a little bit less if you pay direct.

Best wishes,

David

[DavidMN]

... in response to Re: Update, posted by DavidMN on Jun 24, 2003

If you don't have luck with a significantly reduced price or a legal settlement, I believe you might be able to deduct all of this from your taxes. I'm not an expert but I think medical expenses are deductible if they exceed 2.5% of your adjusted gross income. For most people on a corp or govt health plan they never reach this threshold so it's not an often discussed subject.

Obviously, the most important thing now is the health of your family. But if it eases your mind somewhat, between tax deductions for your new bride and baby, and the medical expense deductions, the financial pain might not be as bad as you think. Good luck.

[Stan B]

... in response to Re: Update - One other thing, posted by DavidMN on Jun 24, 2003

a tax deduction and I'm sure you will be over the minimum to claim it. So add up ALL of your medical expenses for the whole year and give it to your tax guy.

[Michael B]

... in response to Update, posted by lswote on Jun 24, 2003

Man, she is really having a rough time of it.....you know that everybody here is concerned about her and wishes her a speedy recovery with no long lasting ill effects (and still hoping for the best for the baby, too).

You have 3 seperate situations here, your wife's and baby's health, recovering damages, and paying the bills....concentrate on the health for now. Forget the lawyers, if none out of 4 wants a piece of it, guess there's no money on the table for them to steal.....OTOH, the hospital will probably settle for ten cents on the dollar (which is a lot more than 'nothing') just make sure that they agree IN WRITING by a CORPORATE OFFICER and/or the head of their billing and collections department (preferbly BOTH) that they won't make any negative credit reports against you before you give them even one nickel.

[lswote]

... in response to Re: Update, posted by Michael B on Jun 24, 2003

Yeah, pretty much blowing off the idea of recovering anything from the urgent care place.

The hospital said they are willing to give me a %30 discount if I pay the bill all at once.  Since they are willing to let me pay the bill with my credit card, I am going to see if they will give me another %5 or so discount if I pay with cashiers check since most businesses have to pay the credit card company a certain percentage of the money.  I was thinking that amount was %6 percent, so my asking for %5 percent still leaves them ahead. I don't know about that 10 cents on the dollar thing you mentioned.  I don't understand why they would agree to do that when I have the resources to pay more.  Granted, paying this bill is really going to set me back; I will have to take out a second mortgage on my home to pay it, but I am not destitute and I don't see why they would give me a break on the bill of that magnitude.  I am not good at bluffing about money and if I went in and asked for 10 cents on the dollar and they said no and made me feel foolish, it would stay with me for a long time.  Maybe some people wouldn’t have a problem asking, but I know I would remain embarrassed for a long time, it is just how I am.

I talked to my wife this morning and she said that she seems a little better and her pain is less.  Of course I see her fib to her parents so they don't worry (she calls them every night from the hospital and makes conversation just like she is at our home and hasn't actually told them she is in the hospital since she thinks it is pointless to have them worry when they can't do anything to help) and I don't know her well enough to know if she would fib to me to keep me from worrying while I am at work.  But I plan to talk to the doctor later today and get his report.

[burbuja2]

... in response to Re: Re: Update, posted by lswote on Jun 24, 2003

I agree that 10 cents on the dollar is absurd and will get you nowhere.  I think DavidMN is on the right track.  See if you can't get the PPO/HMO/medicare rate which should total approximately 65% of the retail charge.  Also, if you paid the urgent care center chatge with a credit card, I would certainly dispute that charge.

 I think you've handled this crisis extremely well so far and I'd like to join the others in expressing my best wishes for your wife's speedy recovery.

[lswote]

... in response to Yo, Iswote, posted by burbuja2 on Jun 24, 2003

I have a question for you burburja2.  How do you dispute a charge like the urgent care center?  I did receive the service, despite the fact it was unsatisfactory.

[burbuja2]

... in response to Re: Yo, Iswote, posted by lswote on Jun 24, 2003

That's the basis for your dispute.  Simply state that the service aggravated your wife's condition and that she lost valuable time while relying on the misdiagnosis.  Try to get the ER records from the hospital to support your claim.  The point is even though she received a service, it was the wrong service.  I bet there is a 50-50 shot that the urgent care center won't even respond to the credit card company once you put the charge in contest.

[lswote]

... in response to Re: Re: Yo, Iswote, posted by burbuja2 on Jun 25, 2003

Well I talked to my credit card company today and they said they need to have a written statement from another doctor stating that the treatment received was incorrect.  Obviously I am not going to be able to get that.  It is one thing for a doctor to tell you his opinion.  It is quite another for him to write it down.  I asked why I just couldn't dispute the claim with explanation and see if the urgent care clinic responds.  The person at the credit card company said that the clinic isn't who would be contacted, but rather the clinic's bank and they would need medical documentation to support the claim the service was invalid.

[HeyNow]

... in response to Re: Re: Update, posted by lswote on Jun 24, 2003

Your wife's conversation with her family reminds me of the singer Merrill Womack.  He was burned in a plane crash.  He called his wife and told her he was in an accident.  She asked him if he was injured,  He simply said, "No broken bones".  Which wasn't actually a fib but, of course eventually she found out about his burns when she saw him.  He totally recovered.

[hankkh]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Update, posted by HeyNow on Jun 24, 2003

In my business the credit card companies charge as followed.
AMEX charges 2.98%  VISA 2.2%  DISCOVER 1.85%  and I know the hospitals do a lot more volume than my business which is about $425,000 a year. Anyway, I wish you and your wife the best of luck.

[Pete E]

... in response to Re: Re: Update, posted by lswote on Jun 24, 2003

Bruce,
They might need to think they might not be getting paid to give you a huge discount,but maybe they know they can get it with your financial situation.Delay in paying might work to your advantage,but don't screw up you credit.Even if they repor you a late pay you might be able to negotiate a paid as agreed credit report from them as part of a settlement.

Pete